Moving to Love
by Miss Arty
Summary: She had seen big bustling cities and rural farms.  She'd seen beauty and she had seen ugliness.  But she had never seen or experienced one thing, she thought.  Love.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note:

Official 2nd fanfiction… Even though it's still an amateurish story… *sweat drop*

Anyway, thanks for all the reviewers of my previous story, "Two Cups of Coffee". I appreciated the fact that people actually take the time to read my stuff. But just so you know, I have self confidence issues. This might show up in my work, but pay no heed to that.

This story was inspired by a true story - my own moving. I only moved once, but I was completely depressed for a long time. Since moving once practically killed me, I can't seven begin to imagine how much it would hurt to move 10 times…

But enough of that. On with the story!

"We're moving."

Those were the words that efficiently defined Sakura Kinomoto's life; constantly picking up everything and relocating to another place only to tear newly formed roots apart.

She had long gotten used to the regret that formed in her heart, but the pain of leaving people she deemed important to her life was the most unbearable suffering. No matter how many times it happened, the pain always seemed to get worse and worse.

She always wondered what it would feel like to be left behind instead of the one leaving. Surely, it couldn't be more piercing.

It was the tenth time in her 15 years and she felt as if her life had been broken into irreparable fragments. A handful of friends from each of her former schools promised her that they would call or visit but they'd never even attempted either one. They had broken contact with her as soon as she had left. She had waited in vain - it seemed as if they had forgotten their friend. And so, Sakura slowly lost her faith in people around her that weren't her beloved family consisting of her brother, Touya, and her father, Fujitaka.

Sakura felt older than she really was. She had seen big bustling cities and rural farms. She'd seen beauty and she had seen ugliness. But she had never seen or experienced one thing, she thought. Love.

She quickly dismissed the silly notion of love - how could she afford to attach her heart to someone when it would only be ripped into pieces? It was the most ridiculous and yet most beautiful hope. True, it was impossible in her eyes, but at heart, Sakura had always been a romantic soul.

It was ironic how the first thing she saw after stepping off the train at Tomoeda Station was a reunited couple, hugging and kissing, their love soaking the atmosphere. She had involuntarily taken a glance at the lovers only to quickly turn her head away from them and then marching steadfastly towards the exit. Touya yelled for her to slow down, but of course, she simply shrugged her older brother off.

That is… until the taboo word appeared.

"KAIJUU! STOP! WAIT UNTIL WE UNLOAD OUR LUGGAGE!"

A pregnant pause ensued until Sakura swung around on her heels to face Touya, a strangely chilling smile stretched across her face.

But let's just say the first thing the Kinomoto family had done after retrieving their bags was take a trip to the nearest hospital for their oldest son.

"I'm sorry, nii-chan. But next time, don't call me kaijuu. Or the time after that. Any time at all, actually."

Sakura had been forced to apologize to her brother after stomping his foot so hard that a bone had dislocated itself. She had also been sentenced to taking care of Touya until he was able to walk properly without crutches or any other kind of aid.

"Why'd you have to kill my foot? I almost saw the light, Sakura. I saw _mom._ I'm thinking that seeing okaa-san again isn't a good thing, for once." Touya sighed, ruffling his black hair tiredly.

"I said I was sorry! And… Well, if you hadn't called me that, I wouldn't have done it! See, it was self-inflicted, nii-chan!" Sakura tried to push the blame.

"…How the heck am I supposed to do soccer tryouts, then?" Touya demanded. "Don't tell me I did this to myself, KAIJUU."

"DO. NOT. CALL. ME. THAT. AGAIN." Sakura growled, every word ringing with fifteen years of grudge.

"Only a kaijuu like yourself can render me handicapped like this, Sakura. You deserve the title of Japan's Only Kaijuu." Touya replied nonchalantly.

"GAH! I tried be civilized with you, but for the last time, I'M NOT A KAIJUU!" Sakura's voice reached a pitch unattainable for most ordinary humans. "And you can try out next semester!"

Their bickering, however, was interrupted by a smiling Fujitaka. Since he always had a smile on his face, it was hard to tell what he was really thinking.

"Sakura-chan, you owe Touya-kun for doing that to his foot." he said firmly. "Since he can't try out for anything regarding physical movement, you can't either."

"FINE." Sakura stated. She had been in cheerleading and track in former years - but now she was tired of being connected to others by the clubs. She had decided to give her school recreational activities up right before they had moved to Tomoeda.

Her father's smile wavered slightly; he was slightly worried for his daughter's well being. Recently, she hadn't been acting normally. Though he wouldn't say it, he was actually quite relieved that Sakura had sent Touya to the hospital with her response to her much loved nickname. At least she'd been acting characteristically correct.

"Settle down, Sakura-chan, Touya-kun." Fujitaka attempted to blow out the impending wild fire. "Tomorrow's the first day of school. I want you to get your uniforms and stuff ready for tomorrow morning."

Sakura got up to leave to her room, but was prevented from doing so by Touya.

"Kaijuu, help me up… I left my crutch over there…"

Sighing, Sakura helped her brother to his feet and led both of them to their new rooms.

Her bedroom was still pretty vacant and airy - she hadn't unpacked anything besides the necessities, like pajamas and toiletries. The walls were a pale pink, matching her white and pink bed. It was Sakura's new sanctuary, her haven. She breathed in the air and began to prepare herself for tomorrow as well as going to bed. As she snuggled beneath her covers, she realized that she actually dreaded the next morning with all her heart.

She found herself sitting in a foreign environment – a classroom that was completely empty. She was freaking out. Was she too early? Or was she too late? Never before had she ever walked into a vacant classroom on the first day of school.

Sakura tried to remember what happened earlier in the morning since all she could really recall was a series of blurs and screams.

-Flashback-

Sighing in exasperation and frustration at the terrible insomnia she was enduring, she tossed and turned. After several minutes of thinking about the possible math questions and curriculum that might be thrown at her tomorrow, she felt herself drifting away into a light and fitful sleep.

It seemed like a few seconds later that a terribly loud knocking sound was pounding through Sakura's head. She groaned in annoyance as the disturbance increased in volume.

"STOP IT!" she screamed angrily.

"KAIJUU! Get up already. We're late for school," a drawling voice informed her. "Even if we've moved, you're still the heavy sleeper of our family, isn't that right, Kaijuu?"

She put her head under her pillow, trying to muffle out her brother's voice. Her entire body seemed to be drowning inside the covers of the bed.

"SAKURA, GET UP NOW. YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!" Touya yelled through the wall again.

Grudgingly, she clambered out of the comfy warmth of her bed and shuffled to Touya's room. He was already awake, wide awake, but couldn't stand to get his crutch.

Sakura grumbled something about how Touya was just using her as a slave. Touya ignored her.

"Mmm. Thanks. By the way, you're half an hour late. My classes aren't until noon, so I'm good." Touya told her lazily as he dressed himself.

Sakura froze. Her eyes slowly widened as the information slowly absorbed into her mind.

And then, she dashed from her beloved brother's room to her own, panicking. She practically flew into the bathroom to take a shower and then sped from there back to her room, putting on her school uniform. She combed through her hair hastily and attempted to tie it up. Sprinting determinedly down the staircase, she grabbed a croissant waiting for her at the table, and kissed her father goodbye. Touya, unknown to her, was smirking slightly as he relaxed into his chair, drinking his coffee. She put on her roller blades quickly and then gracefully skated down the street.

Even though she was rushing, she realized that if she didn't know her surroundings well enough, she wouldn't be able to find her way back home. So, she glanced at all the scenes flooding past her as she smoothly bladed towards her school. A beautifully winding lane of cherry blossom trees, a small park with a large penguin-shaped slide, a few large houses, and an avenue of stores… Even though she didn't like to admit it, she really liked the place. Sakura found the small-town feel comforting, even if she knew she'd have to leave it sooner or later.

She dashed through the open glass doors of Seijou High, after she slipped off her roller blades. She took out a small white card – her schedule – and read the contents. Sighing, she looked for class 2-A. When she found it, Sakura ran in and plopped herself into a seat near the window.

-End of Flashback-

Still half-asleep, Sakura placed her head gently onto her folded arms on her desk. She'd worry about her situation after she took a nice long nap -

"Hmm? There's someone here already?"

The crisp, refreshing voice awakened Sakura. She lethargically turned to see the intruder, and blinked a few times to get the sleepiness from her tired green eyes. Her gaze met with another's, a very entrancing amber one.

"Eh?" Sakura couldn't form words in her confused and exhausted mind. She studied the amber-eyed boy standing at the sliding door of the classroom. He had beautifully messy chestnut locks and a face that looked like it could knock out girls with just a smile. She could've groaned at that because she rather disliked pretty-boys. Hopefully, he wouldn't be like those other idiots she'd met at other schools.

"So…Why are you here this early?" his friendly and smooth voice rang through the silence like a church bell.

"Huh? I'm early?" Sakura said, puzzled. "My brother told me that I was half an hour late…?"

Sakura cursed herself internally as she realized that her brother had tricked her. DAMN HIM, she thought with a trembling clenched fist.

"Well, your brother lied. There's still an hour before school starts, you know." he laughed a bit.

"Ugh…" Sakura couldn't suppress that groan. She hid her face behind her hands in slight embarrassment.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, my mother's done the same thing to me." he told her as he put his backpack on the desk next to hers. "I've never seen you before, are you new?"

Sakura didn't move her face from the position it was in. She nodded slowly.

"I see." was his simple answer. "I'm Li Syaoran, by the way. Nice to meet you."

Sakura lifted her head a bit at his words. "Kinomoto Sakura. Same."

They shook hands and exchanged smiles – Sakura's was uncertain and reluctant while Syaoran's looked like a model's.

Soon after, Sakura felt herself relax as she talked to Syaoran about random things.

"….You do track and field? You should join the club, you know. They're always looking for new recruits." Syaoran encouraged. "In fact, I'm one of their backup runners. I only go when I'm not busy with soccer, though."

Sakura smiled, feeling a small tint of sadness overcome her eyes. "Well, I'm not very good… And I can't participate in any clubs. Sorry…"

"Why are you apologizing? It's totally fine if you can't. But why can't you?" the brown haired boy inquired, rather curious about the girl sitting before him.

He felt a pleasant sensation every time she talked to him and he felt it quite strange that he'd feel this kind of serenity when he'd just met her. He had also noticed those captivating green eyes that clouded over when she answered his question.

"Well, I sort of… injured my brother. He can't do any extracurricular activities, and my dad said that I shouldn't either, just to be fair…" Sakura decided not to tell the handsome stranger that she'd given up any of those activities just before she came to Tomoeda.

"And how did you injure him?" Syaoran asked, his eyes showing mirth and amusement as he noticed the slight embarrassment Sakura was revealing.

"Um… I stomped on his foot sort of hard?" she tilted her head to the side, trying to phrase it without making her sound like some kind of barbaric cave woman.

Syaoran started laughing, which mesmerized Sakura a bit. But she snapped herself out of it, reminding herself that she shouldn't get too attached to anything, even if that "thing" was a terribly good-looking classmate of hers.

"Remind me to never get you mad, Kinomoto." Syaoran was still trying to recover from his burst of chuckles. He found Sakura unbelievably amusing and in a way, cute.

"Oh…" was all Sakura could say.

And before either person could say any more, a flood of students walked in chatting and laughing amongst each other.

Regretfully, Sakura turned away from Syaoran to focus on the new school day officially starting. Syaoran, on the other hand, was still facing her while sitting in the seat across from her.

"You should go greet the teacher now, he's going to introduce you to the rest of the class." he advised her, before waving to a few of his friends entering through the class room door.

Sakura nodded and got up from her seat to the teacher's front desk. She was relieved to see that the teacher was a rather young and handsome man with a very kind face.

"Umm… I'm Kinomoto Sakura and I just transferred today."

In response, she found a warm smile waiting for her. "I see, Kinomoto-san. Well, I'm Terada-sensei, your teacher. Although you must've known already, right?"

Again Sakura nodded, but very shyly. She wasn't used to warm treatment from the teachers she met in each of her new schools. They always were impersonal and indifferent to her, the new transfer student. She waited for Terada-sensei to get his papers and books in order. When the bell rang, the bustling class hushed.

"Welcome back, kids." the teacher greeted them. "I hope you had a lovely holiday."

Students in all corners of the room nodded their agreement.

"We have a new transfer student today. Her name is Kinomoto Sakura, from Tokyo." he announced. "Kinomoto-san, please go up to the board to write your name. And then, introduce yourself to the class."

Sakura hesitated, but as she glanced around the room, she saw a thumbs-up from Syaoran, filling her with courage.

"…I'm Kinomoto Sakura. Nice to meet you all." she told them after writing her name on the chalk board with brisk confident strokes. "I hope that I will get along with you guys this year."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note:

Second chapter, wow. I'm probably going to be a very irregular updater, since I have school and such. I don't always get access to computers/the Internet. But I'll try my best to get as many chappies done, for the sake of those few actually looking forward to some of my stories. Most of my chapters are probably going to be typed up in my school library, where Word Document actually exists… My personal computer only has Word Processor, which screws up everything.

Okay, my rants are done. Story time.

Chapter 2:

The sun was sparkling on the surface of the little pond just inside of Seijuu High's campus. It was a secret little hideaway Sakura was lucky to discover on her first day, and it made her undoubtedly the most content to sit under the comfortable shade under the bold green leaves of the trees bordering the pond and watch the ducks paddling through the waters.

It was lunchtime and as she ate a little of the bento her beloved father had packed for her, Sakura felt rather dozy. As her eyes slowly fell, she felt so calm and relaxed that lying on the grass near the roots of a large cherry blossom tree seemed as comfortable as her own bed.

She began to dream of strange things, the most random things, which made sense because most dreams are completely irrelevant to reality anyway. Images of a brown haired boy intermingled with a flood of flying knives, dancing crayons and colored pencils – everything was just as a dream should be. Weird.

Just as a colored pencil was about to transform into a soaring knife, Sakura felt a cold hand being pressed to her forehead. Shocked and completely caught unawares, her emerald eyes snapped open.

"Um… Are you alright?" a very gentle and soothing voice sounded through the quiet atmosphere.

Sakura turned her head to see an extraordinarily captivating pair of amethyst eyes staring at her slightly worried. The owner of the eyes was equally beautiful; she was a pale, delicate looking girl who could only be described as an elegant young lady, with long wavy locks of ashen black cascading down her back.

"Yes, I'm alright…"Sakura told the girl.

"Oh, I see." the girl sighed. Evidently, she was worried seeing a classmate of hers lying down on her back under a tree where it probably wasn't comfortable in the heat of the retreating summer.

Sakura didn't blame her – who wouldn't be scared seeing a corpselike high school girl on campus? Well, at least she'd freak out. She was always afraid of ghosts and the supernatural.

"I was concerned… You were just lying there and I was wondering if you'd gotten heat stroke." the violet eyed girl informed. "It's happened before to my friend, Rika, and we had to send her to the hospital."

"Ahaha. It's okay, one my friends –" Sakura broke off her sentence, feeling a sharp pain in her heart as she remembered one of her ex-friends getting a heat stroke and fainting on a field trip during the summer at her old school . "…Got the same thing…"

Sakura trailed off, her eyes clouding over again. The ashen haired girl noticed the change in mood and immediately tried to recreate a positive atmosphere.

"Well, I'm Daidouji Tomoyo. Please call me Tomoyo. I'm in class 4A."

Sakura realized that the girl was trying to change the subject for her sake and smiled weakly. "I'm Kinomoto Sakura, class 2A."

"Ah! That means… you know Li-kun, right?" Tomoyo exclaimed.

"Li? Oh. Syaoran, you mean." Sakura flipped through her memory. "Yes, he sits across from me."

"Wow. All the girls must be jealous of you… He's the Prince Charming of our school, you know. Or at least one of them…" Tomoyo noted.

Sakura felt like she already knew this from the start, when she was lulled in by his charms and looks. Again, she thought, pretty boys and their popularity…

"Yeah." was all Sakura could say.

Silence followed, awkwardness tinting it.

"Can I call you Sakura?" Tomoyo tried restarting the conversation.

Sakura knew she shouldn't allow Tomoyo to do so, but she felt her heart warming up to her schoolmate. Here's a potential friend, her heart urged her on.

"…I guess."

If Tomoyo was frustrated at Sakura's conversational skills, she didn't show it. Instead, she attempted to continue the dead end conversation.

"Would you like to join me for lunch? I was heading to meet my friends… After painting, that is." Tomoyo invited, bring Sakura's eyes to a sketchbook and small paint brush with a set of colored pigments .

Sakura felt the little voice in her mind scream to reject the purple eyed girl, to not let someone make her attached again.

"Sure."

A few months had passed since Sakura's arrival in Tomoeda and unfortunately for Sakura, she found herself participating in social activities more often than she thought she should.

"Hey, Kinomoto! We're going to karaoke after school. You up for it?"

Sakura found herself facing smiling amber eyes and getting drawn in.

"Um…" Sakura began, unsure of herself.

"Please! We don't have enough people to get free food!" Syaoran begged. "Just one more person and we can do it! Please, Kinomoto. I'll be your best friend!"

Sakura couldn't help but smile at the school idol. And she also couldn't help agreeing to his invitation.

"Alright, fine. I'll go…"

Syaoran got up and grinned at her, making her proud of herself for making him smile so beautifully. She returned his smile unconsciously, waiting for the school bell to ring the signal of the end of educational learning for the day.

As she packed her stuff up, Sakura realized that she wasn't alone in the empty classroom. Like the start of her first day at Seijuu, Syaoran was also there in the room. But, unlike that day, Syaoran was unconscious, lightly breathing rhythmically with his head on his arms that were placed on his desk.

She could help but feel that he was just too adorable just innocently sleeping. And to enhance the image, a soft ray of sunlight was pouring around his chestnut hair like a halo around his angelic head. Sakura felt like large, white wings would sprout from his back at any given moment.

Unfortunately, the peace was broken when someone abruptly slid open the classroom door. Sakura wanted to slap herself for staring so attentively at her popular amber-eyed classmate as she realized that the two of them were no longer alone.

"Daidouji-san?"

Tomoyo frowned and corrected Sakura. "I told you, call me Tomoyo!"

"Umm… then, Tomoyo-chan…" Sakura said shyly. She wanted so badly to tell Tomoyo to call her Sakura, but she had once again reminded herself to not make their names connected. When she had to leave again, she'd never hear from this person again, nor will she ever be able to call her Tomoyo.

"Good job." Tomoyo smiled brightly, happy that the emerald girl was finally calling her by her first name. "We're both friends, right?"

Sakura felt the urge to nod and say yes, but she knew she shouldn't. She couldn't.

"Uh…."

But Sakura didn't have to say anything. Tomoyo had walked up to Syaoran's desk and kneeled down to eye level with his closed eyes.

"Aww, he's just so cute, isn't he?" Tomoyo squealed, ignoring the fact that Syaoran was right in front of her and asleep.

And so, the brown haired boy woke up. His eyes fluttered as he took in his surroundings. Sakura suppressed a slight giggle at his confused expression. Tomoyo, however, laughed freely.

"We're all going to karaoke, right? Let's go!" Tomoyo said, grabbing Syaoran's arm and dragging him towards Sakura.

Sakura somehow didn't like the apparent closeness of her two so-called friends, but she brushed the uncomfortable sensation off. She felt her arm also being grabbed by the ashen haired girl and she was relatively surprised at the strength of the seemingly delicate and fragile lady. Soon, the trio found themselves outside, by the school gate.

During the very very long stroll led by Tomoyo, who was always getting distracted by stores and little shops by the streets they were travelling through, Sakura found herself practically alone with Syaoran. Their conversations so far were very amusing and about nothing much at all, until Sakura found her curiosity getting the better of her.

"You usually go home right away after the bell rings. So why were you still at school today?" Sakura inquired, watching an aggressive Tomoyo converse with a very distressed looking shopkeeper.

"Well, I guess you could say I was waiting for someone." Syaoran answered, laughing softly when the shopkeeper started quivering in fear.

"…Waiting for someone?" she wondered.

Sakura thought for a moment. Who would someone like Syaoran, the idol of the school, be waiting for? For a moment, she wanted to think that it was her, since she was always the last one to exit the class room, but she refused to accept the thought. It was outrageous, impossible that he would wait for her, the new transfer. They were good friends by now, she mused, because they talked every day since her arrival at Seijuu. Although it was her first time hanging out with him after school, she felt like they'd gotten to know each other pretty well. But it was simply impossible that he would consider her such a close friend that he would wait for the 15 minutes it took for her to finish her notes and to put her stuff away.

"Was it Tomoyo?" she asked.

Syaoran chuckled a bit, his eyes suddenly acquiring a beautiful radiance. "Why wouldn't you think of yourself, as well? I mean, you're not wrong, I was waiting for her, but also for you, you know."

Sakura turned her face away from his to hide the impending deep blush, but couldn't help but think that he was slightly lying to her.

"Hey, Kinomoto. We're good friends, right?" he voiced out Sakura's thoughts.

"Umm… I guess?" Sakura thought it felt weird that he said 'friends' out loud. It disturbed her – wasn't she supposed to avoid making friends? However, seeing that handsome face of his quickly washed the memory from her mind once more.

"Then, I'll tell you a secret." he leaned close to her ear.

Sakura couldn't suppress the burst of red that flooded her face. She tilted her ear closer, eager to see what he had to tell her.

"You see, I love someone. I feel like you're trustworthy and you can probably become my absolute best friend in a few days…" he whispered. "…so I'll tell you now."

Sakura nodded, ignoring the stab in her heart.

"I like… Tomoyo."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note:

Hey there, it's me again. I've gotten a few reviewers since I first uploaded the first chapter. I'm actually sort of proud of myself, even though I know that lots of authors out there have many many more. I actually don't plan anything when writing. I just type whatever story plot comes out of my mind... Sort of like improvising. Some people find that my stories get confusing that way, because I keep making up new things... I apologize.

Continuing on...

-oOo-

Chapter 3:

Sakura couldn't help but feel the stinging in her heart. The words left Syaoran's mouth in slow motion, as if he was deliberately mocking her.

"...I...Like...Tomoyo..."

The words continually rang and echoed like church bells in her ears. But she couldn't figure out why she felt so disturbed. Shouldn't she be happy that this popular pretty boy deemed her important enough to tell her a very deep secret of his? Shouldn't she be happy that she even had new friends, despite her lackluster social skills?

No, she thought. No. Sakura smacked herself. Sakura, this isn't the time to be making friends, she reminded herself once more. It's all going to be destroyed anyway...

"...Kinomoto?"

Sakura was startled out of her reverie.

"Hmm?" was her clever reply.

Syaoran's face edged closer to hers, a worried expression on his angelic face.

"Are you okay? You just hit yourself..."

Sakura shook her head. "Ahaha, don't worry about me. It's something I do when I think too much."

The amber eyed boy stared at her. "Wow. You really are violent... You hurt your brother too, right?"

Sakura felt an explosion of feelings inside her. Anger... and something else.

"Uh... Wait, you still remember that?" Sakura said, embarrassed.

"Of course I do, you told me that on the first day of school!" Syaoran grinned. "That reminds me... On Monday, come with me after school. I wanna show you something."

Sakura felt curiosity bubble within her, but she kept her face as composed as she could. But it was quite a feat to accomplish, with an incredibly good looking guy's face peering at her a few inches away.

-oOo-

Karaoke was incredibly fun for Sakura. Sure, she didn't know more than half the people there, but she felt as if she were included. She felt _needed._

"LI! GO UP AND SING!"

"SYAORAAAAAAAAAAAN-KUUUN!"

Wild cheers and screams were bouncing off the sound proof walls of the private karaoke room the high school students had booked. At least 20 people were there, crowding up all available space... and creating a very strong sense of chaos.

"ALRIGHT!" Syaoran called back to his fans, winking.

As Syaoran grabbed the microphone, he searched for a certain face.

"THIS IS FOR MY NEW BEST FRIEND, KINOMOTO!"

As the music blasted from the speakers, Syaoran professionally began to sing.

Sakura watched in awe as she noticed that he really did seem like a teen idol... A very popular one, at least. When he yelled her name, she had started abruptly, shocked that he would dedicate a song (even if it was just for karaoke) for someone like her.

Amber eyes landed on her, and she stared deep into them. Something was calling to her, deep in her heart, but as always, she ignored it.

As the song finished, Sakura got up to the little stage and yanked Syaoran off.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU TOTALLY EMBARRASSED MEEE!" she told him, laughing wildly at his expression.

"...You mean you didn't like my present?" Syaoran's face pulled itself into a very adorable pout.

"Of course I did! Who said I didn't?" she told him.

Yes, she really loved it. Especially when he called her name, even if it was just her surname.

-oOo-

"Tomoyo. You simply _have to sing._" a brown haired girl cried out.

"Ehh? But after Li-kun's fantabulous performance, I think I'll just pale in comparison, Rika-chan!" Tomoyo smiled. "Don't you think so, Naoko-chan?"

"Tomoyo, stop joking around!" another brunette scolded her. "You, the winner of Japan's Singing Contest? Pale in comparison? Stop being so MODEST!"

Tomoyo sheepishly let herself be dragged onto the stage by her friends. With a microphone clutched between her perfectly slender and white fingers, she told the person at the karaoke machine to play any song they wished.

As a slow but sweet ballad began playing, Tomoyo began to put her famed singing skills to use. Her gentle yet passionate voice delicately flowed through the air, silencing all of the rowdiness that had formed in the chamber when Syaoran had sung.

All eyes were forced to behold her – no, they weren't forced. They willingly allowed themselves to be drawn to her silky voice and soft black hair. They let themselves drown in her amethyst depths.

Sakura felt herself drift away into the song. Her eyes closed, and she forgot everything, even the fact that Syaoran was right beside her.

As the ballad concluded itself, Sakura felt a slight stinging in her green eyes. As she opened them, she realized tears were readily flowing from them. She peered next to her – Syaoran.

He had clear eyes, however, shining in pride... and in love.

His applause was the first to burst into the silenced room.

Sakura clapped as enthusiastically as she could, but the tears were still leaking through her now smiling eyes.

_Why am I crying_, she thought. _Why...?_

As people congratulated Tomoyo for her heart wrenching performance, Sakura stayed behind shyly. Tomoyo was really a wonderous person. Talented, beautiful, and kind – she was definitely what Sakura and every girl would ever want to be.

When the crowd dissipated, Sakura was left alone with the ashen haired girl.

"Umm... Good job, you sounded really good." Sakura said lamely.

Tomoyo's violet eyes widened, and they sparkled with happiness. "Kinomoto-san! I'm so happy! Your compliment truly means a lot to me. Thank you so very much..."

And Tomoyo embraced Sakura, enveloping the caramel haired girl in a burst of warmth.

A tap on Sakura's shoulder broke through the comfort the hug had brought to her.

"Mind if I join in, ladies?" a grinning Syaoran said.

Laughing, Tomoyo grabbed the chocolate haired boy's arm and pulled all three into a tight hug.

Sakura felt her smile brighten just a bit more as she felt Syaoran's arm around her shoulder.

_Friends..._

-oOo-

As Sakura sat on the sofa in the living room, she pondered over things that happened that day. Karaoke was fun, despite the fact that she didn't sing a single note at the party. She met new people and actually enjoyed interacting with them. She had ignored that voice in her head telling her to stop and just run out of the crowded room.

Absently watching the sun setting behind a stretch of tall, shadowy trees, she also wondered about the strange sensations she had felt trembling through her heart. She was sure she had felt warmth from that hug that was initiated by Tomoyo. It was a beautiful feeling and she was sure that her heart had already accepted the amethyst eyed girl as a friend even though her mind protested unceasingly.

But why had she cried that moment after Tomoyo's song had finished? Was it because her friend's voice was just so touching and enchanting? She didn't know. All she remembered clearly was the expression in Syaoran's shining amber eyes and how the feelings displayed in those fascinating orbs had mesmerized her soul.

"What is this feeling…?" she thought aloud. "It hurts…"

Sakura had no more time to continue wandering through her thoughts and memories. The door bell had just rung and soon after, impatient knockings were heard on her house door.

"Coming!" she yelled, picking herself up and walking to the door.

When she opened the door, she saw a very amusing sight.

"Onii-san?"

Yes, Touya was standing at the door, but he wasn't alone. A silver haired man with round glasses peered in, smiling.

"Your brother needed some help getting home, since he hurt his leg again. Sorry for the intrusion!" he said as he led Sakura's limping brother into the house.

"Hello, kaijuu." was Touya's short greeting. "Can you get some tea? I'd do it myself, but…"

Sakura sighed and walked to the kitchen to boil some water. She noticed the stranger was fairly unaffected by Touya's gruffness and tough exterior. This was rather unusual – most people fled after realizing Touya's personality didn't exactly match his good looks. But Sakura knew that her brother was actually just a big softie who pretended to be tough in order to protect the people he loved.

"Um… Excuse me? I've got the tea ready." Sakura placed the tray with steaming cups on the coffee table in her living room in front of the sofa.

"Oh, hello. You must be… Sakura-chan?" the bespectacled man turned to face Sakura and bowed politely. "I've heard a bit about you from Touya. It's very nice to finally meet you. I'm Yukito Tsukishiro, your brother's friend."

"Eh…" Sakura bowed respectfully in return. _Onii-chan has friends? _

"Thank you very much for helping my brother, Tsukishiro-san." Sakura smiled. "He usually can't get along with people. I feel very happy that he has you as a friend."

Yukito's smile grew. "No problem. He's fun to be with. And Sakura-chan?"

"Yes?"

"You can call me Yukito, you know. We're going to get along pretty well, I think."

"Yes, Yukito-san." Sakura thought so too. It was rare that Touya found someone he trusted so much that he'd let him take him home. Sakura knew that this wouldn't be the last time she'd see the silver haired man.

"Well, I have to go soon, to prepare dinner for my grandparents." Yukito said, gulping his tea down with ease. "I'm sorry that I can't stay longer."

"Don't be." Touya reassured. "Thanks for helping me back. You're always welcome here."

As the three chatted for awhile, Sakura thought a bit more of her attempts to keep friendship away from herself.

_Maybe I shouldn't give up just yet. I have a feeling that this time, my friends won't leave me forever. I hope…_

-oOo-

"Kinomoto?"

Sakura felt her green eyes flutter open slowly.

"Ugh…Yeah?"

Her eyes focused on the person talking to her. _Syaoran?_

"Hello." he said, smiling.

Sakura blinked. "Did you just wake me up just to say that?"

"Yup."

She decided to act annoyed. "Hmph. I didn't have any sleep last night so I'm tired!"

Syaoran played along. "Then maybe I shouldn't ever bother you ever again?"

Somehow those words stung her. He didn't bother her, not at all. In fact, she felt that it was the other way around.

"Actually, you bothering me is a good thing. Now I can be awake enough to do the math homework I didn't do last night!" she joked. "SCREW MATH!"

Syaoran laughed with her, pointing out certain answers on her blank math worksheet. Apparently, he was one of the highest ranking high school students in Japan for mathematics. _Figures. He just has to be perfect, huh?_

"That reminds me, you have to come with me after school, 'kay?" Syaoran said, after checking over Sakura's scribbles.

"Oh yeah, you mentioned that on Friday, right?"

"Yeah. I'll wait for you."

And for some reason, Sakura felt like she could listen to those words forever.

-oOo-


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note:

My fourth chapter, hmm? I'm surprised at myself. I usually ditch stories after a chapter or so. And yet, here I am. Well, I hope I can steadfastly continue this journey with the few, but very special, readers I have.

-oOo-

**Chapter 4**

"Yeah. I'll wait for you."

And true to his words, he really did stay behind the extra fifteen minutes just to wait for her. The act half surprised her and half didn't. It was a very contradicting sensation. Again, she felt that Syaoran waiting for her was completely unexpected. They were close and Syaoran had even proudly announced their friendship to a crowd of his fans through a very lively song.

True, he was sleeping yet again, Sakura thought. _But at least he kept his promise, right?_

She fought the urge to touch his soft brown hair as he softly breathed in his slumber.

"Hey. Li." Sakura gently put her hand on his arm, shaking it. "Wake up."

She was rewarded with no response from the sleeping boy.

"Li. Wake up, you said you wanted to show something to me?" she told him as she continued shaking his unconscious form.

"LI." she tried again, this time with a louder voice. "YOU IDIOT, WAKE UP."

Syaoran stirred slightly, but his eyes didn't open. He mumbled something in his dreams, but unfortunately, Sakura didn't catch it.

"What did you say?" Sakura stopped shaking him.

Obliging, Syaoran repeated his words, eyes still shut. "…I won't wake up if you don't call me by my name."

The girl with emerald eyes froze. _Why must he be so cute, dammit?_

"Li. That's your name, isn't it?" Sakura poked his arm.

He groaned and then shook his head. All the while, his amber eyes never revealed themselves.

"Li, if you don't wake up, I'll leave." she threatened.

He shook his head again. "You know you won't."

"Try me." As if to prove her words, Sakura got up from her position by his desk and marched to the sliding door.

Syaoran made no sign of moving or getting up at all, much to Sakura's disappointment. She willed herself to leave the classroom, but her feet were glued to the dusty floor.

"Li, this is your last chance. I'm going home if you don't get up."

Syaoran lifted his head slightly, but still didn't open his expressive eyes. "….My….Name…"

Sakura sighed, giving up. "Fine. Syaoran, wake up."

"No." was his reply.

Feeling her temper rising like a tsunami, she grabbed the handle of the sliding door and swished it open with one strong flick of her wrist.

"Goodbye, then."

She was about to storm out, but a firm hand caught hers.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. It's just really fun teasing you and I knew you wouldn't actually leave." The chocolate haired teen confessed rather sheepishly. "I just wanted you to call my name. Sorry."

Sakura felt color erupt through her cheeks as his words floated through her ears and into her mind. She could feel his warm hand through her own, a slight buzzing feeling pulsing through her skin.

"N-n-no. I should be the one who's sorry, I was just getting too impatient." She apologized solemnly, trying not to stutter.

Syaoran only smiled at her, causing a small grin to appear on her own face. His smiles were always contagious. Maybe that's partially why he was so popular. Seeing a single smile from this guy would light up anyone's day, Sakura thought.

"Well then. Now that this is settled, I think we should get going." Syaoran didn't let go of her hand, but instead led her outside of the classroom and soon, outside of the school.

Sakura felt her cheeks continue to redden, as if someone had splashed red paint all over white canvas.

This was going to be a long walk, to wherever he was going. But then again, she had a feeling that she'd want to follow him anywhere.

-oOo-

"…The ice-cream parlor?" Sakura glanced at the small café's bright blue sign.

"Yup." He announced cheerfully, drawing her inside the shop.

Sakura felt the sweet aromas of sugar and chocolate and cookie envelop her senses. It was the first time she had visited an ice-cream parlor in Tomoeda, as well as the first time since she left her ex-friends back in Tokyo. It was a refreshing feeling.

"So…What do you want?"

Sakura felt her appreciation for the sugary scent in the shop increase dramatically as she took another whiff.

"Umm…What are you getting?" Sakura inquired, feeling that as a "best friend", she should at least know his favorite ice-cream flavor.

"Well, I'm stuck between hazelnut-chocolate and chocolate fudge brownie." He replied, a light smile on his face.

"Then, I'll get one and you get the other and we can share." Sakura offered, taking out her wallet. _I guess that answered my question._

Syaoran stopped her action. "Nope, this time is on me."

"…What?"

Syaoran sighed, as if explaining was really pointless. "Because I dragged you here, of course. Obviously, I can't just let you pay."

He pulled out his own wallet and walked towards the cashier. "Go find a seat. Preferably by a window, please."

Sakura felt a touch of warmth when he went off to order their ice-creams. A very pleasant sensation coursed through her veins and it ran straight into her heart. She'd never encountered someone like the amber eyed boy before. And she had a feeling that she'd never find another person like him ever again.

She shuffled to the requested window seats in a private corner of the store, liking the view it gave of the passing pedestrians. She had strange preferences, true, but it gave her the feeling of being in a safe secure haven looking into a mute world.

"Ice-cream's here!" announced Syaoran as he placed the cone in Sakura's waiting hands.

Sakura smiled gratefully and then focused her attention to the chocolate dessert before her eyes.

She took a lick, savoring the fudge's flavor and taste.

"It's that good, huh?" he said, observing the bright expression Sakura's eyes carried as she licked more of the ice-cream.

"Yeah."

"Well, I guess you like chocolate, right?" Syaoran asked, still staring at her messily eating the frozen delicacy.

"Yup. I love chocolate." Sakura said, stopping for a moment. "But then again, so do you."

He chuckled at her declaration. "Yes, I admit it. I'm a chocoholic. If there's any type of chocolate near me, it'll probably disappear because I inhaled it."

"You…You DRUG ADDICT!" Sakura exclaimed dramatically.

Luckily for the two, they were in a rather secluded area and thus, they had avoided the impending deep stares of other customers and the staff of the ice-cream shop.

"Hey! I'm not _that _into chocolate!" he paused. "Maybe."

They broke into laughter, eating chocolate ice-cream all the while.

"Hey, is that really really good?" Syaoran peered curiously at the half finished cone of chocolate fudge brownie.

"Yup. Wanna try?" she offered the cone to her companion. _Wait, what am I doing?_

Sakura was surprised at herself. She never shared her ice-cream with anyone. _Anyone. _ And a boy, at that. _Touya's gonna be mad… I never even shared with him…._

In response, Syaoran stuck out his own cone, offering it in exchange for hers.

They switched ice-creams, and slowly let themselves drown in the chocolate depths. Sakura felt that hazelnuts never tasted better. And that's when she realized.

_HOLY $%&! INDIRECT KISS?_

"Is something wrong?" Syaoran asked, noticing her sudden change in facial expression.

"Uh…N-n-nothing." was her sophisticated reply.

"Um. Okay." He wasn't satisfied with her answer, but he decided to drop the subject. That is, until he realized her face was turning a bright maroon color. "Wait. Are you allergic to hazelnuts?"

She shook her head, but continued staring in shock at the hazelnut chocolate frozen treat. Cautiously, just to appease him, she approached the dessert once more.

Making up her mind to stop making him look so worried for her, she stuffed the remainder of the cone into her mouth.

"Kinomoto?" he asked uncertainly.

"YESH?" she asked, as she attempted to swallow.

"…Are you sure you're okay?" his face seemed to display more concern for her.

"YESH!" she tried again.

Still looking apprehensive, he finished off his cone too, but without stuffing it inelegantly into his mouth. Instead, he looked like he was advertising the ice-cream. Despite being in their little corner of the store, several eyes had glued onto him.

"Ah. That was good." he said.

Sakura's jade eyes were still trained onto his form. "Yesh…"

Syaoran stared back at her. Sakura felt her skin tingle.

And then, he did the unexpected.

He burst into laughter.

"What…?" she asked self-consciously. _Is there something wrong with me?_

His answer was a simple chuckle. "You've got chocolate all over your face, Kinomoto."

Blushing furiously, she reached for a napkin, but to her dismay, there wasn't a single one on the table that she could see. _The Fates are definitely conspiring against me. _

"Here." Syaoran reached under his arm and pulled out a napkin that had hidden there. Gently, he wiped the chocolate smears off her face.

By the time he finished, the emerald eyed girl's face was like a red rose.

"Finished." He announced, as he put the napkin down. "Just like taking care of a little kid."

She felt herself flush even more, if that was even possible. "Hmph. I'm not a little kid."

"Oh yeah? When's your birthday?" he asked casually.

"….. Promise not to laugh?" she peered at his smiling face.

He nodded his consent, curiously looking at his best friend. "Go on, tell me."

She hesitated and bent her head lower, as if afraid that people would hear her next words. "My birthday's on…. April 1st. "

There was a few moments of silence following, like a tired child trailing behind an adult. Awkwardly, Syaoran chuckled a bit.

"And what's wrong with that?" he asked. "And that was _not _laughing, 'kay?"

The honey haired girl in front of him just stared at him. "Well, it's April Fool's day, too. And usually, from what I've experienced, people laugh about it when I tell them."

"Really?" he looked carefully at Sakura's face. She had seemed so scared of rejection, even if she was just telling him her date of birth. He wanted to wipe that nervous and anxious expression off her visage. She deserved to smile and only experience the joys of life, he thought. "Well, it's not funny. I was just amused that you were acting like you were telling me some big secret or something…"

Sakura seemed relieved. She was really afraid that Syaoran would be like the others she'd met before… They'd laughed at how suitable her birthday was for her, calling her dense and such. She saw them as friends, but after a while, the treatment did get slightly traumatizing.

"After all, April 1st is the day you were brought into this world. And if that didn't happen, I wouldn't have become friends with you." Syaoran continued.

She felt a smile lift her lips. "I'm glad to have met you."

_What? What did I just say? _

Sakura hadn't expected the truth to spring out from her mouth. It was completely involuntary, as if something had possessed her.

"Me too." He smiled at her again. "Little kid."

He patted her softly on the head, relishing the velvety soft texture of her hair. Sakura felt the burst of warmth that customarily flooded through her every time he made physical contact with her.

"So… When's your birthday?"

"July 13."

"Then you obviously can't call me 'little kid'! I'm older than you!" Sakura declared.

"But you act like one, you know." Syaoran told her, ruffling her hair again to annoy the girl.

"Hmph."

-oOo-

The two were walking outside, rejoicing the refreshingly crisp air. They found themselves wandering in the little lane of cherry blossom trees that Sakura had noticed on her way to school on her very first day.

"Oh, that reminds me. You said you had something to show me?" Sakura remembered suddenly.

"Well, not really… I just wanted your help to find a present for Tomoyo." He said, slightly fidgeting with sudden shyness. "It's almost her birthday. It's on September 3rd."

She felt some of the warmth she had shared with the amber eyed teen leak out of her, like a bottle of water with a hole in its side.

"Really? Tomoyo-chan's birthday is September 3rd?" she inquired, averting her eyes from the love-sick boy.

"Yes. And since you're a girl –hopefully –" he braced himself for any impending kicks to the shin or foot-stomping. "I was hoping that you could help me with finding a good present for her?"

With great effort and the mustering of all her acting skills, she smiled. "Sure. Why not?"

-oOo-


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note:

Ugh. Spring break just ended and I'm exhausted. But what can I do? Change time flow?

Actually, this is a fast update… 2 days, I believe? Maybe if I update more, more people will read?

By the way, I just wanted to say that the story does take place in Tomoeda, Japan. Meaning that the schools start around _spring_ and _not _in the autumn (like in America) – Tomoyo's birthday is in the fall, which also means that several months did pass. Of course, that causes a few issues too, but it's all for the best. Hopefully, I'm not going too fast for people. Again, I simply do improvise as I go along. Things _do _get pretty confusing.

-oOo-

**Chapter 5**

Even to her own ears, her words sounded disgustingly artificial. Like some stale, bland actress monotonously giving her lines with a tight smile on her face. It was definitely not a moment Sakura would want photographed or taped.

"Sure. Why not?"

For a moment, she was sure Syaoran had caught the obviously pasted expression of glee on her face. But then she noticed that the corners of his lips had turned into a light smile.

"Thanks." His appreciation was apparent.

Sakura couldn't blame him for anything. He wanted to find the perfect present for the girl he liked and he was totally unsure of how to do so. Instead of doing the smart thing and asking the girl in question what she would like, he went and consulted another girl, who he'd dubbed as his best friend. Yup. Totally smart.

"So, let's get going then?" he grabbed her arm and used his free hand to throw away all the chocolatey napkins and trash.

The two exited the shop and Sakura felt herself being dragged to another store that was located across the street.

It was a lovely little establishment – a nice sign labeled its name "Twin Bells" – with a matching aura of coziness and softness. Sakura suddenly experienced a strange feeling as she approached the shop with Syaoran still latched on her arm.

"…Isn't this a girl's shop?" she asked, looking over his sheepish face.

"Yeah… I heard about it from my sisters." His eyes wandered over the wood and glass door of "Twin Bells".

Sakura felt herself freeze for a second. "You have sisters?"

He nodded. "Four sisters, actually."

"Four? Why didn't you ask one of them for help, then?" Sakura inquired, not noticing the subtle blush on his cheeks.

"Telling them I was looking for a present for a girl isn't a good idea… They're like wolves when they find any type of interesting info about anyone they think is close to them. I think they've used most of the data they collected from me as blackmail material…" he shivered lightly. "Besides, I wanted to spend some more time with my best friend. Is that so wrong?"

"N-n-nothing's wrong with that! I'm just asking!" the green eyed girl felt her cheeks flush a very bright hue of scarlet. She tried to change the subject quickly. "Are we just going to stand out here? Let's go in!"

And so, they entered the store.

The inside of the shop was even more heart-warming than the exterior. Little shelves painted a soothing shade of blue held up little boxes and containers. A few tables were covered in clean white cloth and stuffed animals. Other tables and shelves held up other miscellaneous items. It was like an attic of a fairytale cottage.

"Welcome!" a very kind voice greeted them.

The owner of the voice was standing behind a tall book case and she seemed to be struggling to lift a certain box in order to place it on one of the top shelves.

"Uh… Do you need help with that?" Syaoran looked nervous. The box was teetering right and left but its only destination seemed to be on the floor with its contents spilled out.

"No, no. Thanks for the offer, but I can't make a customer do such a thing!" she tried to regain her balance after a failed attempt to put her box in its spot. "Besides, I've almost got it!"

The woman jumped once more. Unable to take it anymore, Sakura rushed over and barely caught the box before it hit the ground. Sighing, she hefted the box so it could rest on a table.

"Um, it's fine. I can handle it, Miss Shopkeeper." As if trying to prove her words, Sakura lifted the box and was going to place it on the shelf when she suddenly tripped on a lone object on the floor.

"GYAH!"

Before she could feel the cold, hard floor beneath her, strong arms wrapped around her securely. She sensed her body stiffening and then she quickly struggled to regain her balance. While she tried to stand up, she found out what had caused her to humiliate herself. A stupid stuffed animal… a strangely adorable stupid stuffed animal.

"Wow. Kinomoto, you're really a hypocrite, aren't you?" Syaoran let her use his arms as support to get back to her feet. "If you couldn't do it, you know you should've asked me."

His facial expression was nonchalant and teasing but the tone of his voice and the emotion in his eyes could only be described as serious.

"Shut up! I only tripped!" Sakura found her balance finally and hopped out of his embrace. "Besides, I could totally lift that!"

"What am I supposed to be here for, then?" Syaoran grabbed the box and easily placed it on the shelf without even blinking. "I'm your best friend. Of course you should tell me when you need help."

She blinked her bottle green eyes.

"Oh, thank you so very much!" the shopkeeper cried.

Sakura whipped her head around. She'd forgotten that the shopkeeper was there. It was like all her memories had been erased since she'd been in Syaoran's arms. _I should never do that before a math test…._

"As a proper thank you gift, I'll make us some tea! Please wait here for a few minutes, dears." the cheery lady hustled off, leaving the two alone and in silence.

They settled themselves at an empty table with little chairs around it. It was awkward for Syaoran because of his height, but he somehow scrunched into it.

A few minutes later, the lady returned, a tray with steaming cups of tea.

After laying down the cups and handing out little cookies, she spoke. "My name is Matsumoto Maki. As you can see, this is my shop and because I just moved here, the place is still a mess. I apologize."

Shaking her head rapidly to emphasize her point, Sakura reassured her. "No, it's not that bad. This shop is so cute! I really love it."

They exchanged smiles that Syaoran felt left out of. The two young women shared a common thing – infinite clumsiness.

"I'm Kinomoto Sakura, a student at Seijuu High. It's very nice to meet you, Matsumoto-san."

"Hey. I'm Li Syaoran, Kinomoto's classmate at Seijuu." Syaoran put another charming smile on his face. "It's awesome to meet you and see such a wonderful store, Matsumoto-san."

"My my, such polite children!" Matsumoto Maki blushed at being addressed so formally. "Please, call me Maki. After all, you two are my first customers, you know!"

"We're honored, Maki-san." Sakura bowed slightly. "We were actually here looking for a present for our friend. It's almost her birthday."

"I see!" Maki-san grinned. "Well, you came to the right place. I've got a lot of stuff, not just the normal, everyday stuffed animals."

After drinking their tea, they helped Maki file all the items scattered around the store. It was long and took a lot of effort, but Sakura was pleased to see so many cute things in one day.

"How adorable!" Sakura had exclaimed after placing a small moonstone bracelet into a glass case. "It's so pretty."

"Really? It looks normal to me." Syaoran said, peering at the jewelry. "Do you think Tomoyo would like it?"

Sakura felt her smile droop a bit at his sentence. He really did think of Tomoyo often. It was only normal. He liked her just that much.

"She doesn't seem the type to wear gaudy jewelry… So this kind of subtle thing might suit her." The suddenly depressed honey haired girl suggested. "Moonstone is pretty, just like she is, right?"

"Right!" Syaoran grinned as he took the bracelet out of the case. "I'll go buy this now, 'kay?"

He practically skipped off to Maki-san, who was at the register.

Sakura sighed. Why was she so upset all of a sudden? She should be happy that Syaoran thought of her to help him. She should be happy that a person as beautiful and talented as Tomoyo wanted to be her friend. So why?

-oOo-

With a smug expression on his face, Syaoran tugged Sakura out of the shop. He seemed so proud and happy that he'd found a gift so quickly that Sakura couldn't stifle a giggle or two.

"Why are you laughing?" he inquired, a very curious expression in his eyes.

"Nothing." Sakura dismissed his question. "By the way, the bracelet was pretty expensive-looking. How much was it?"

"Umm… Not too much, there was a discount from Maki-san for being her first customers… So, about 10000 yen or something like that." He told her casually.

"…10000 yen?" Sakura looked at him. "That's a _lot._ Do you really carry that much money around with you all the time?"

Syaoran seemed mildly uncomfortable with the subject. "I just happened to have the money with me….?"

The way he ended his sentence with a question mark was definitely a sign that he was hiding something. Sakura could see he was trying to prevent her from prying so she backed off.

"Even though it's totally obvious you're lying about something, as your best friend, I won't go into your business. Just tell me when you're ready, okay?" Sakura turned away.

Feeling rather touched, the amber eyed teen smiled at her. "Okay."

Sakura felt more satisfied with his brief answer, quelling the thirst for knowing the truth behind him. Sure, she knew a bit more about her so-called best friend than most of her other schoolmates, but she felt as if she didn't know him well at all. The feeling of the lack of knowledge made her feel empty and useless inside.

Noticing the sad expression on his companion's face, he quickly thought of a way to cheer her up. "Sakura, stick out your hand."

Without hesitation, Sakura did as he asked. Even if he were to give her the order to jump off a cliff, she'd do so, trusting him from the bottom of her heart. _Is that really a bad thing?_

Syaoran placed a neatly wrapped parcel in her palm. It was a pretty hue of pale pink with the Twin Bells logo printed on.

"Open it."

Again, she did so without any lingering thoughts.

Carefully removing the wrapping and lid, Sakura wanted to cry when she saw the object lying within. She wanted to weep with laughter, that is.

Inside was a stuffed animal – the same one that she'd stumbled over so carelessly in the store earlier. It was golden yellow with beady black eyes, white wings, and a long yellow tail to match. To Sakura, it was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen.

"What's this for?"

Suddenly feeling shy, Syaoran averted his gaze and stared at his shoes instead of the happy girl beside him.

"It's a gift for you. I wanted to thank you for coming with me today to get a present for Tomoyo."

"You know you didn't have to. I would've come anyway, Li."

"I know. But I still wanted to give you something…"

Sakura smiled at him with a radiance that she knew she could only emit when she was in his presence. She knew that he was definitely special. A special person she wanted to be with for as long as she could.

"Thank you." She told him sincerely.

Syaoran, even though he had avoided eye contact with her, reconnected their gazes. He couldn't fight the sensation rushing over his mind and heart. A flush of embarrassment and jubilance invaded his handsome face.

"…No problem…" he muttered weakly.

A few awkward moments of silence trailed behind their words, the quietness slowly soaking through the air.

"Um… One more thing." Syaoran turned to Sakura.

"Yeah?"

"Uh… You can call me by my first name, you know." He almost whispered to her.

Surprise was apparent on his friend's face, pink flooding her face. She now resembled her namesake, the cherry blossom.

"Okay… Syaoran-kun."

The name flowed out of her lips as fluidly as water would, as if her mouth was made to say that very name. It sounded and felt so right.

She couldn't bear to leave off the suffix for some reason; she couldn't figure out why exactly.

"…And Syaoran-kun?" she took a deep breath to steady her excited heart.

"Yes?" he grinned at how his name sounded so natural coming from her.

"Please call me Sakura."

-oOo-


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note:

I'm happy for all the reviews I've gotten. I'd like to thank all those who have chosen to take the time to read my hopeless story. And, I want to try my best for those people. Hopefully, I will get more readers and reviewers over time, but I'm not very good at writing long term stories… Ugh.

AP exams just ended for me, that's why I haven't updated in a while. HSAs also blocked me from updating… I tried to redeem myself by extending the chappie.

To the fic now!

-oOo-

**Chapter 6**

She named the plushie after much concentration and internal debate. When she had returned home after being walked by Syaoran, she had begun mumbling all sorts of names under her breath. Unfortunately, her brother saw this and took up the job to tease her about it.

"Kaijuu, why are you mumbling to yourself like that? It's like you're about to curse someone with that voodoo doll you're holding."

"You mean this?" she picked up the yellow plush. "This is Kero. I just got him today!"

"Hmm… You're supposedly 15 already and yet, you're still playing with stuffed animals? And it's a voodoo doll as well!" Touya shook his head sadly. "That's why you'll always be Japan's Only Kaijuu… You'll never get a boyfriend for yourself at this rate."

"Hmph! I'm not a kaijuu, nii-san. And this is _not _a voodoo doll! If it were, I would've cursed you off long ago, idiot!"

"Ahh, I'm so scaaaaaaaaared, kaijuu." Her brother rolled his eyes mockingly.

"Shut up. Your acting skills suck. And you _should_ be afraid, nii-san." Sakura told him, a glint sparkling eerily in her emerald eyes.

So without preamble, the girl casually stepped on her brother's foot with as much force as she could possibly muster. With a strangled cry erupting through the air, Touya stumbled back.

"KAIJUU!" his voice was slightly trembling under the intense agony he had just experienced. Now, he was feeling the tingly sensation of the aftershock.

"Yes?" she asked sweetly, smiling as innocently as she could.

"My foot just healed and now you killed it again!" he stumbled into the chair behind him, massaging his foot.

"What a wimp…" Sakura muttered to herself under her breath.

"What? Did you say something just now?"

"No, nii-san. I didn't say a single word!" Sakura stepped onto the staircase in order to make her quick escape to her bedroom. "Oh, and about me not getting a boyfriend? A guy just walked me home, you know. He also got me Kero."

And with her last statement, she sprinted up the steps, leaving her older brother with a shocked expression and with a mouth wide open.

"KAIJUU! WHO IS THIS GUY? TELL ME!" he yelled in the direction of her bedroom, still clutching his maimed foot. "TELL MEEE!"

-oOo-

The next morning, Sakura took great care to get up as early as she could possibly force herself to. Knowing Touya, he'd probably interrogate her about her words the day before as soon as he got up.

Luckily for her, Touya's classes were all during the afternoon and she knew that her brother wouldn't wake up until at least 10.

Sighing in contentment, she picked up an empty glass and poured herself orange juice. She was extremely early – school wouldn't start until two hours later. This time, Sakura thought happily, she'd have time for a proper breakfast.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!"

Her father stepped into the kitchen cheerfully as always. His smile always brightened his daughter's heart.

"You're up early today." He put up his apron and prepared to cook breakfast. "You usually sleep in until the last possible minute."

Sakura grinned sheepishly. "I just thought I'd get up earlier today?"

She winced. She really was the worst liar ever. Everything she said was as obvious as a glowing polar bear lying on asphalt. Thankfully, her father didn't question her truthfulness. Instead, he just continued stirring the batter calmly.

"We're having pancakes?"

"Yes. I thought you'd appreciate them better when you were fully awake…"

"Haha. You're right, otou-san."

She loved her father because he knew exactly what to say to cure any awkwardness that rarely spread into their conversations. He understood her best, she was sure. Touya was similar, but too defensive and protective and sometimes intruded into her problems a bit too much.

"Let's eat before nii-san comes down, okay?"

-oOo-

"Good morning, Sakura."

Her face tinted slightly pink as she recognized the smoothness of the voice she had thought about so often the day before. She tried to hide her face by turning to face the window.

"Hello, Li."

Even though she couldn't see his face, she could tell that he was frowning. The smile he had greeted her with had melted slightly, like ice cream that had been in the heat for a few minutes too late.

"Didn't we have an agreement that day?" he asked in a somewhat sullen voice.

She wanted to giggle. _Why does he have to be so cute?_

"Agreement?"

She fought the urge to turn around to face him.

"Yeah! I thought we were on first name basis now?"

Sakura gasped a bit, whirling herself around. "Oh… Sorry, Syaoran-kun. It's just a habit I made of calling you Li…"

"It's fine." He sighed. But at least he could see those sparkling green eyes of hers. "But before I forget, I wanted to tell you that we have to report to Yanagisawa during lunch."

_Who's that? _A face flashed at her from the memories she had acquired months before. A bespectacled school girl with straight bobbed hair smiled at her politely in her remembrance.

"Why?"

"To plan Tomoyo's surprise party, I think."

"Oh…. I see…"

She suddenly grew quiet when she realized something.

"Then, I'll see you, okay?" Syaoran walked to his seat across the aisle.

"…Sure."

-oOo-

Sakura strode down the corridor with two armfuls of papers. Her teacher just had to pick _her_ to deliver the documents to the office, she grumbled mentally.

As she turned left around the corner, she heard loud voices in front of her. Curious, she stopped to listen to what they were speaking about so noisily.

"I'm sorry, but I'm busy. Please let me go." A familiar voice said clearly.

"What? Can't you spare a few minutes to let me talk to you, huh?" a rough and masculine one responded.

Sakura recognized the beautifully memorable voice instantly as she saw the speaker's visage. She let her gaze fall upon the other end of the conversation – a male student of the school whose back was turned to her.

Halcyon orchid eyes were calmly concentrated on the one who had grabbed her wrist.

"Release my wrist, right now." The politeness in her voice was just barely concealing her cold anger slightly edging through.

"Or what?" he challenged.

Sakura saw that his grip had tightened over her friend's slender white arm, creating streaks of pale red color in the shape of fingers. _It's time for me to interfere_, she told herself.

"Or Terada-sensei will see you." Sakura came from her hiding spot, papers still in hand.

"I don't see him anywhere." The impertinence in his tone was evident. He still didn't free Tomoyo's wrist from his grasp.

"I'm supposed to bring these papers to him here." The honey haired girl lied quickly. "I'm expecting to see him in a few minutes."

The student had turned around, revealing a coarse and an otherwise generic high school boy's face. He eyed the documents mentioned cautiously, as if Terada-sensei was going to burst from them.

Stubbornly, he gripped only harder on the ashen haired girl's ivory arm. "This is none of your business anyway. Leave us alone."

"No. Actually, why don't you leave my friend alone?" Sakura felt her rage meter fly as she noticed her friend wince in pain.

"I'm an upperclassman, shouldn't you respect my words?" his eyes shining forcefully.

"I only respect people if they deserve it. Now let go of her."

"Make me."

Tomoyo was still struggling against her captor but a petite girl like herself could never overcome the bulky delinquent who was suffocating her wrist. Every time she attempted to break his grasp, he only tightened it. She could only weakly look at Sakura with a faint smile.

Sakura, being the passionate person she was, felt her heart beat faster with fury. This stupid senpai simply wasn't giving up, was he? Well, if he wanted her to make him let go of Tomoyo, she'd make him.

With the pinnacle of her strength, she sprinted at him, causing him to look startled. As she approached the now completely surprised upperclassman, she grabbed the heaviest stack of papers in her arms and launched the paper-torpedo straight to his face.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Sakura's battle cry echoed in the empty corridor.

*THWACK*

Strangely enough, the papers remained intact until the moment it touched down on the unfortunate boy's face, making the damage much more effective.

_God must be on my side for once._

He took the blow directly, still shocked that such a small girl like Sakura would dare stand up to a tall muscular boy like himself. Seeing that had made him still as stone, eyes wide; his muscles loosened slightly.

Tomoyo took the chance to twist herself from captivity and ran towards Sakura with gratefulness embedded in her violet eyes.

The two girls looked at the frozen delinquent apprehensively, waiting for him to regain his senses, but it was to no avail. Shrugging, Sakura took Tomoyo's unwounded hand and pulled her out of the hall they were in.

"Are you okay?" Sakura gingerly examined the bruising skin that was once as flawless as porcelain.

Black and blue spots were forming in the shape of hard fingers on Tomoyo's wrist.

"Yes, I'm fine." The amethyst girl answered, still shaken at the senpai's daring. She tried not to flinch when Sakura gently touched her injury.

"We should go to the nurse, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura insisted, truly worried about the painful looking blotches on her skin.

Tomoyo still looked hesitant and uncertain, but finally relented. "Okay, Kinomoto-chan."

Sakura felt strange hearing her surname come from her friend's lips. "Sakura is fine, please call me that."

"Sakura-chan!" the dark haired girl tested out the name.

In return, the girl being addressed flashed the most genuine smile she had ever given since moving to Tomoeda.

They walked along the strangely deserted hall, their indoor shoes padding along the smooth, cold floor of the school. Tomoyo's graceful strides abruptly halted at the closed door of the nurse's office. Sudden shyness radiated from her delicate face as she peered up at the taller girl.

"Um… Sakura-chan?" Timidly, she locked eyes with jade.

"Hmm?"

"I…just…wanted to ask you something…." Lavender eyes conceded.

"Yeah?" Normally, Sakura would've found the self-doubt flooding the conversation very annoying, but somehow she felt that this time, it was sweet.

"Um…!" an eruption of words burst into the hallway, echoing off the walls.

"….Sorry, I didn't catch that?" Sakura hadn't comprehended a single syllable that her friend had just blurted out. Puzzled, she made eye contact with the shorter girl. "Slower, please."

Bashfully, Tomoyo avoided the moss green eyes searching her expression. "Sakura-chan… Ever since I met you, I thought that your image was perfect for the clothes I designed for the fall collection for my club. I wanted to ask you if you'd be my model."

"Oh." Sakura pondered for a moment, still partially in shock that her usually reserved and calm companion had exploded in a passion. "Sure."

The pink that had given a rosy color to Tomoyo's usually white face receded as relief broke upon the girl. "Sakura-chan, I was so afraid that you wouldn't… I was looking for a chance to talk to you and all… I guess senpai did do something good for once…"

Smiling again, Sakura hugged her friend. "What are you talking about? I'm your friend! I'm always here! And how could I refuse to be _your_ model?"

They stood in silence, still in embrace.

Awkwardly, Sakura broke the hug. "You should get those treated, okay?"

"Yes…" Tomoyo slid the door open, stepping in the white room. "Oh, and Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"….Thank you very much…"

-oOo-

When she had returned to the classroom, she realized that she had one more class until lunch. She wasn't looking forward to the meeting, even if Syaoran would be there. She'd realized earlier that she wasn't invited to the party itself or even part of the group of friends. Wouldn't she just be in the way?

"Kinomoto Sakura of class 2A! Please report to the teachers' offices immediately." A curt voice commanded through the school PA system.

At the sound of her name, Sakura jumped. _What did I do? _

"Oi. Sakura! What did you do?" Sakura's thoughts were being voiced out.

"I don't know…"

She wracked her brain for memories. _Oh… Wait a minute… That senpai…_

"Oh…Crap." Sakura wanted to smack herself. _So they'd finally found out, huh?_

"What do you mean 'crap?' Did something bad happen?" Syaoran was staring at her in a slightly worried way.

"Ahahaha. Nothing to worry about, Li - I mean – Syaoran-kun." She assured him, although she was freaking out in the inside.

She stumbled out of her seat and shuffled nervously out of the classroom. She missed the concerned amber gaze being focused on her as she exited.

As she made up to the sliding door, she stopped, hoping that there was some other Kinomoto Sakura in class 2A.

"What are you doing?"

Sakura spun around and saw Terada-sensei standing behind her.

"Ummm…." She tried her best to sift through her mangled thoughts for a proper excuse. And then she realized that she didn't even need one. "I was called earlier…"

"Ah, yes. I requested for you to be called because the papers that I asked you to deliver never made it to its final destination so I was wondering about them." The brown haired teacher casually opened the door and gestured for Sakura to follow him as he stepped in.

He set his bag onto a neatly kept desk and sat down on the chair beside it.

_So he wasn't asking about that senpai…_

Sighing with relief, Sakura looked down at her feet warily.

"So?"

"Oh. Um…" she stiffened as she remembered that she still had to lie. "When I was walking there, a senpai offered to take it for me because it seemed really heavy and he was going the same direction…"

"I see." Terada-sensei seemed pretty convinced with the fib. "Well then, who is this senpai?"

"I don't know. He seemed really nice – did he take the documents to where he was supposed to?" Sakura questioned, a feigned expression of curiosity imprinted on her innocent looking face.

"No… But I'll look for him." The young teacher frowned, thinking about which responsible upperclassman he could be. "Kinomoto-san, you may leave."

Sakura relaxed, bowed to her teacher, and almost skipped away joyously. As soon as she stepped out of the room, a bell rang, marking the beginning of the end of the day.

"Sakura!"

At the sound of her name being thrown into the air, she whipped around, hoping that the owner of that voice was Syaoran.

Lucky for her, it was the boy she'd been hoping for. "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to know if you got detention or anything… For whatever you did." He teased as he reached her.

"I didn't get detention!" she scowled at him. "It was just a misunderstanding!"

"If it's just that, let's go together to the meeting now, okay?" he was now leading her through the crowd of happy lunch-buyers flooding the corridor. "Yanagisawa and the others are waiting."

"Um… Okay…?"

She let herself be dragged back to the classroom, where Syaoran ordered her to grab her bento.

With a sudden flash, she realized that she might not want to go with him for once.

_I'll be left out…_

-oOo-


	7. Chapter 7

I diAuthor's Note:

Okay. So I'm not a regular updater, like I've said before, but I will attempt to write as often and as much as possible. School has always been a major factor of my suffering and late updates… I'm still in shock that I'm even on the seventh chappy at all! And apparently, less and less people are reviewing… I need to have my daily dose of online criticism to continue. So those of you out there, please DO SO.

-oOo-

**Chapter 7:**

"Is everyone here?" a girl with a bob of perfectly straight brown hair looked around the room, adjusting her glasses when she saw that the people she'd invited had arrived.

"Why don't you just do roll-call or something if you really want to know?" a girl with two thick braids stood up. "It'll be fun."

"Fine." The first girl whipped out a clipboard from nowhere along with a purple pen. She scanned the listed names.

"Chiharu!"

"I'm here, I just spoke to you!"

"Rika!"

"Present."

"Yamazaki!"

"Hi there! Did you know that –"

His voice was cut off as the braided girl smacked the top of his head. Holding his injury carefully, he remained silent afterwards.

"Naoko!" she paused for a second. "Oh, wait. That's me…"

Sheepishly, she checked off her name.

"Syaoran!"

Silence followed as the called person did not answer to his name.

"He must be running late…" the braided girl spoke again.

"Okay." Naoko made a note marking his tardiness. "I think that's everyone I told to come."

A crashing sound alerted all of the people in the empty classroom as they looked for the source of the disturbance.

"I'm….Here…" a brown haired boy panted out as he tried to catch his lost breath.

"Oh. Syaoran's here." Naoko checked off his name indifferently. "And… Who's that with you?"

Everyone's heads turned to see the golden haired girl collapsed beside Syaoran.

"It's Sakura, obviously!" he told them, breathing normally once again.

Sakura wanted to blush in embarrassment when she realized that no one had recognized her. Feeling slightly hurt, she took a deep breath and bowed towards them while still huddled on the floor.

"We were introduced a while ago, I believe, but I wanted to say that I'm Kinomoto Sakura. Nice to meet you… again."

"Naoko! Why are you being so rude?" Chiharu went over to help Sakura up. "Sorry, Naoko can't remember names or faces at all. Despite being so organized, she took almost 10 years to remember all of us!"

Standing up clumsily, Sakura giggled lightly. "It's okay… I usually can't remember people's names that well either…"

"Sounds like that's true." Syaoran said in mock sadness. "You couldn't remember my first name…"

Blushing, she went over to the boy and flicked him. "I told you I was sorry! I just forgot that we had that conversation!"

"What conversation?" Chiharu prodded Syaoran curiously. "You aren't blackmailing Kinomoto, are you?"

"No! " Syaoran retorted. "Besides, it's a secret between us two."

"Enough with the chit chat, okay?" Naoko cut in. "We have a lunch period of planning time. That's not that much, considering that it's Tomoyo's important birthday party planning."

In the back, Rika nodded in agreement. "We should get started now…"

Everyone dashed to their seats, like in the game Musical Chairs, leaving Sakura standing in a lonely position still at the door.

"Sakura, why are you still standing?" Chiharu pointed to an empty seat to her right. "Sit there."

Sakura was grateful so she smiled at the braided brunette. She realized that her new friend was a blunt and honest person with a very kind heart even if she didn't show it through her roughness. Her straightforwardness and familiarity was a refreshing thing.

After everyone settled into their seats, Naoko passed out numerous sheets of colored paper.

"Everyone, those sheets of paper contain all the jobs we need done by next Saturday. I'm dividing the work in pairs so no one gets too much work." She looked at her clipboard once more.

Her sharp hearing, however, caused her to fling her purple pen in the general direction towards a boy Sakura had never met before. He had been chattering about things to Chiharu and the other brown haired girl beside him when Naoko had made her announcement. Apparently, even with her eyes concentrated on paper, she could still notice the smallest whispers at the back of the room.

True to her aim, the purple pen shot like a bullet through the air and hit the black haired boy straight on his forehead. It bounced off, landing with a CLACK. His droopy black eyes widened as he realized that a stinging sensation was now plaguing his face.

"Yamazaki, pay attention. Got it?" Naoko looked up. "As I was saying, I've split the jobs into pairs."

"So, who's working with who?" Chiharu asked impatiently.

"I'm getting to that…" Naoko reshuffled some papers in a folder she'd conjured from thin air. Sakura blinked, amazed at how all of the glasses girl's materials seemed to appear from nowhere.

"Obviously, you and Yamazaki can go buy the food and decorations." She stated. "After all, you're the only one who can pretty much control the boy… And you're neighbors. That's an advantage."

Chiharu grinned with an expression akin to pride. "I'll keep him in check."

Yamazaki shuddered while maintaining a smile on his face.

"Syaoran… You're working with…" Naoko trailed off as she saw Sakura's expectant face. Hastily, she looked down at her roster. "Kinomoto…"

No longer offended by Naoko's lack of name recognition, Sakura giggled.

"Sakura's fine, it's easier to remember than my surname."

"Uh. Okay." Naoko marked something on her paper. "Anyway, you'll be working with Syaoran. You guys will have to do the decorations and also make sure that Tomoyo's distracted before coming to the party venue. Also, you guys are the ones mostly in charge with party cleanup. That's the easiest job since I know that Syaoran has a short attention span."

"Hey!" the chocolate haired boy exclaimed indignantly.

"And Rika will be working with me. We look for an after party location… I already previewed a few places but I'm still searching for the perfect one."

A shy looking brownish red headed girl nodded.

"That's just a simple outline of the party planning. You better get started before next weekend or -"

"Or what?" Yamazaki wondered aloud.

"OR ELSE I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN." Naoko's usually chocolate colored eyes turned a strange shade of dark purple.

Yamazaki seemed to get the idea and shut up once more.

"But anyway, lunch is half over. Let's eat." Naoko's eyes turned back to their normal color and her voice lightened.

Everyone took out their bento boxes, except for Syaoran, who slipped out a package of bread.

"You're eating… Coconut Bread?" Sakura eyed his meal doubtfully.

"Yeah. They ran out of Choco Bread." The boy answered promptly, as if eating coconut bread was supposed to be filling for a high school boy in the middle of puberty.

"You realize that they're for breakfast when you're short on time, right?" Sakura looked at him. "Like a yogurt cup or something…"

He was tall and definitely bigger than Sakura. His height had towered over her simple frame. She wasn't even sure about how tall he was. But one bread pack was definitely not enough for her – how could it satisfy him?

"If you want, you can have some of my lunch." Sakura pointed to an extra pair of chopsticks her father had packed in case she lost or dropped her current pair.

"Oh. Thanks, Sakura." He smiled as he took the chopsticks.

He looked at it carefully and then burst into laughter when he noticed the design etched onto the chopsticks. "Piffle Princess Puffs?"

"Shut up!" she was now cursing her luck that her father would pack _those_ chopsticks. They were very important to her, true, but seeing it in Syaoran's hands seemed strange and highly amusing. "I had those for a long time! If you don't want them, eat with your hands!"

Syaoran smiled. "No, it's okay. I'm used to this – my sisters all had a set of Piffle Princess Puffs eating utensils… I remember washing them all one day."

Sakura recalled that he told her that he had four sisters all older than him. "When was that?"

"When I was five and my youngest sister was 7?" he chuckled again. "How old are you now, Sakura?"

Sakura pouted. "Give them back, then."

"I said it was okay!"

"Clearly, you're having too much fun with this!"

The others in the room watched them bicker back and forth. It seemed as if Sakura had known Syaoran for years like they had instead of the few months she had been there. With a slight feeling of jealousy that they had never made Syaoran smile like that before, they studied the two.

"Are you done flirting?" Chiharu demanded. "Just watching you two makes me want to throw up what I just ate."

"TMI, Chiharu. TMI." Yamazaki earned himself another smack.

The two blushed a bit. Feeling awkward, Sakura pushed her bento towards the chestnut haired boy sitting by her.

"Pick anything."

"Okay!" Syaoran cheerfully picked up his chopsticks.

Gracefully, he picked up a small rolled egg and ate it.

"This tamagoyaki is great." He told her.

"Yeah. My dad's a great cook." Sakura replied, proud of her father.

They spent the next twenty minutes sharing the bento until even the smallest of rice grains disappeared from the box.

"The bell's gonna ring soon, we should get going." Chiharu pulled Yamazaki up. They too had shared an extra-large lunch.

"But I wanted to introduce myself to Sakura!"

"Why didn't you do that earlier? We're going to be late if you don't hurry!" Chiharu scolded him.

"B-b-but Naoko…" his voice trailed off as he remembered the frightening glint he'd witnessed earlier.

Chiharu sighed. This is what she gets when she falls in love with such a coward. "Okay. Then just go now!"

Yamazaki nodded eagerly and bounced up to meet the emerald eyed girl.

"Hey there! I'm Yamazaki Takashi but most people just call me Yamazaki." He stuck his hand out for her to shake it. "I think we'll be good friends."

"I'm Kinomoto Sakura…. It's nice to meet you." She bowed courteously only to see his horror struck face.

"Sakura-chan!" he had already started using her first name despite their introduction taking place a few seconds ago. "Did you know that bowing once meant that a human sacrifice was going to take place? The gods were always asking people to bow to other people but for what reason? Human sacrifice rituals, of course!"

Sakura froze up. She hated anything remotely related to horror or the occult. This conversation was going somewhere she knew she wouldn't enjoy. "H-h-h-h-hoe? R-r-r-r-really?"

Her large innocent eyes stared into his slightly closed black ones. Yamazaki began to feel beads of sweat forming at his forehead. Was he feeling guilty?

"Uh… Yes." He said simply, unable to elaborate or extend his lies.

"TA-KA-SHII!" a fierce voice gave him little warning as Chiharu stomped over and hit his shoulder angrily. "You said that you were going to introduce yourself to her, not scare her into believing your _obvious_ lies!"

"Those were lies?" Sakura asked naively.

Sakura had always been gullible. She trusted people too easily – that was the main reason she got hurt so much. At her previous schools, she'd always believed in the best of people and kept faith in them even when they had deserted her. This was why she had become more anti-social and closed off.

"Don't worry, Sakura." Syaoran reached to pat her shoulder. "It took me 7 years to realize he was making up stuff as he goes. He's just that convincing."

"Pfft. You still get confused sometimes." Naoko snorted, writing furiously at the writing pad she had in her hand without making eye contact at the four people near the door.

Rika had already left much earlier, telling Naoko quietly that Terada-sensei had requested for her to help him with a few jobs. Naoko sighed when she realized that only one of her friends was not troublesome.

"But anyway, I'm Mihara Chiharu. Call me Chiharu." The braided girl expertly flicked Yamazaki's forehead lazily.

Sakura nodded. She glanced at the clock and almost screamed when she realized the time.

"SYAORAN-KUN! CLASS WILL START IN 2 MINUTES!" she shrieked, tugging at his sleeve.

"Oh. CRAP." He grabbed the empty lunch box and sprinted off with Sakura like the speed of light.

Naoko, Chiharu, and Yamazaki stood dumbly at the door.

"They do realize that the clock is five minutes off, right?" Naoko raised an eyebrow.

-oOo-

Heart pounding and breaths flaring wildly, the two sprinters slid open the door hastily.

"WE'RE SORRY FOR BEING LATE, TERADA-SENSEI!" the duo cried in unison.

As they looked around class 2A, they realized that most of the students were out and the remainder of the kids were staring at them.

"Ahem." Syaoran tried to break the awkwardness. "Ahahaha… We'll just go sit down now…"

Hurriedly, Sakura and Syaoran went to take their seats beside each other.

Fidgeting uncomfortably, Sakura turned to face Syaoran.

"Your friends are really nice…" she told him.

"Of course they are. They're my best childhood friends." He answered.

"I was wondering if it was a good idea for me to meet them though."

"Why? Are you jealous?"

"No, of course not!"

"Because if you are, relax. You're still my best friend of them all, okay?"

Flushing a deep hue of red, she coughed a bit. "Um… Thank you… But I was just thinking that I'm obviously a stranger to them… and that they might've been weird with that…"

Syaoran frowned. "They liked you. I can see that. You're the only other person that I introduced to them, that's why you're special."

"Who's the other person?"

Quieting down, Syaoran murmured. "Tomoyo was the other person."

"Oh." She could feel her heart stinging slightly. _What the… Why does my heart hurt? Did I eat something bad?_

"Next time, the whole gang will meet up. You included." He said firmly. "You're one of us. They approved of you."

Touched, Sakura wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. These people had just been introduced to a complete stranger and yet the accepted her as she was. They were her new friends.

Friends she never wanted to forget, unlike those who had erased her existence from their minds when she left.

"Oh… Then am I invited to the party?" Sakura inquired.

Syaoran stared at her as if she'd grown an extra head. "Of course you are! If you weren't, I wouldn't have taken you present-shopping or to them!"

Smiling in relief, Sakura relaxed herself into her desk, anxiously waiting for class to end so she could rejoice in her new discoveries today.

-oOo-


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note:

I'm trying to write as much as I can beforehand so I won't have to do it later… Typing in the library for a few hours actually will create enough chapters I can put up regularly…

Regular updates are impossible for me. Final exams are coming soon to ambush me and I feel like I should get more prepared… But knowing me, I'll probably procrastinate.

-oOo-

**Chapter 8:**

She climbed into her soft bed easily, clutching Kero to her chest. She had walked home with her new friends – Chiharu, Naoko, Yamazaki, and even quiet Rika. Syaoran had accompanied them, excited to finally know the way to Sakura's house.

Being the good host she was raised to be, she invited all of them inside her house. She had been praying fervently that Touya wouldn't be home so he would interrogate all of her friends and to her delight, she'd been correct. Her house was quiet and peaceful, ready for the noise and laughter that would soon follow.

Searching in her fridge, she offered them juice and tea and small pudding cups her father had made a few days ago.

When they went home, she walked with them part way so they wouldn't get lost.

Her previous experiences with friends back at her previous schools had never been as good as this one. She remembered that she'd offered refreshments one time and had returned to the room to see a huge mess and one of the invited girls lying on her bed as if she owned it.

Contentedly, she snuggled deeper into her warm covers and hugged Kero tight. The yellow stuffed animal had quickly become her favorite. Its adorableness reminded her of the person who had gotten it for her.

Just as she was about to drift into a comfortable slumber, a knock woke her.

Grouchily, she mumbled incoherently.

The person outside knocked once more.

"WHAT?" she screamed at the doorway.

"Kaijuu! It's almost midnight and here you are yelling. That's why you're a kaijuu."

Enraged, she tumbled out of bed and whipped the door open. "I'M NOT A FREAKING KAIJUU, NII-SAN! NOW WHY THE HECK DID YOU HAVE TO WAKE ME UP?"

"Because, kaijuu, I was wondering where the pudding cups went."

Smiling mischievously, Sakura sat down on the bed. "They're eaten."

"By who?"

"By my friends. They came over today after school." She told him nonchalantly.

"Friends? Why didn't you tell me?" Touya's older brother instincts were spiking up. "Were there any of _those things?_"

"…You mean… boys?" Sakura asked innocently.

"They're _things._ Teenage boys are dangerous _things._" He emphasized his words. "Especially for you."

"What do you mean? Aren't you a teenage boy too?"

"Well, yes, but not to you. I'm not a _thing_ when it concerns you."

"Really? But I'm a…" Sakura paused. "Kaijuu to you?"

"Obviously."

"That's unfair, isn't it?"

"Life isn't fair, kaijuu. I thought you would've known by now."

Sakura gritted her teeth. "Of course I know. Why else would I be stuck with an older brother like you?"

If Touya was hurt, he didn't show it. He was used to the insults directed at him by his little sis and he knew that she didn't mean it at all. "Stop changing the subject, kaijuu. Were there any _things_ here in this house this afternoon?"

Sakura grinned. "Yes. There were actually two."

"TWO?" his eyes grew larger. "You brought _two things _inside this house while I was gone? While dad was gone?"

"Yes." She said simply. "Two. They're my friends."

"YOU HAVE MALE FRIENDS?" the black haired teen jumped up. "WHAT?"

"Yes, I do. They both have someone they love very much though."

This didn't totally reassure Touya. "I need to meet them. Bring all those new friends of yours to the movie theater tomorrow. I'm going to…. Talk to them."

Knowing Touya, he wasn't going to just simply 'talk to them'. It was more likely that he would pounce on them with a chainsaw to castrate any males near her.

But Sakura knew that she couldn't say no. Her brother's dark eyes were glowing eerily in the darkness of the night and she knew it was futile to fight.

"I'll see what I can do…" she sighed.

"Good."

At that, Touya marched from her room, probably preparing all the weapons of mass destruction he'd need the next day.

She swore she could hear his soft but scary hum of what seemed to be a strange mix of 'Ring Around A Rosie' and Mario's theme.

_Crazy nii-san._

-oOo-

When she woke up, she could smell the lovely aromas of bacon and eggs frying. As she hurriedly dressed and dashed from her room, she noticed that her father was not in the kitchen and in his stead, a tall black haired boy was turning the stove off.

"'Morning, nii-san." Sakura yawned.

"Oh, you're up. A few more minutes and you would've found yourself soaked in ice water, kaijuu." Touya piled the eggs onto a plate and set it on the wooden table. "Come on, eat."

Still sleepy, Sakura sat down at her usual seat but not before she lightly kicked her pesky brother. She ate the scrambled eggs slowly with a little flourish because her brother's cooking really was excellent (though she'd never admit it to him). Twirling her chopsticks, she set her empty dishes into the sink and noticed that her brother was no longer in the kitchen.

"Nii-san?" she called out into the hallway.

"Yeah?" he answered in a muffled voice. "I'm going off to meet up with Yukito, okay?"

"Okay!" she told him. "I have to go to the class meeting today so I'll leave with you."

The two set off from the house together. The siblings looked at each other and laughed. They were wearing similar clothes that matched perfectly. Sakura donned a white and navy blue striped collared shirt with a pair of black jeans while her older brother was wearing a white and midnight blue T-shirt with dark pants.

"Wow. We're twins today." Sakura giggled.

"Aren't we?" he grinned. "But I don't want to be a kaijuu like you."

Huffing, Sakura punched his arm. He was caught off guard – he thought that she would do her usual attack of killing his foot with her own – and groaned when her fist made contact with his arm.

"Hmph." She started walking away from him.

"Kaijuu, we're going the same direction… And you're going the wrong way." Touya reminded her.

Stiffening, she turned back and walked side by side with her brother. _So much for my cool escape…_

They walked across the streets together silently, finally going through Sakura's favorite avenue of cherry blossom trees. There were no blossoms however – it was autumn, after all. When they arrived at the gates of Seijou High, Touya gently ruffled his sister's honey-kissed hair.

"Don't forget to bring them." He told her firmly before he left.

"I WON'T." she yelled back at him, clenching her fist at him.

Striding into the shoe locker area, she put her outdoor shoes into the cubby and took out her indoor ones.

"Sakura-chan!" a sweet voice called to her.

Spinning around, she came face to face with a delicate pale face. "Tomoyo-chan, 'morning."

"Yes, good morning to you too, Sakura-chan."

"Did you need something?"

Tomoyo shifted slightly, a stain of pink brushing over her white cheeks. "Um… The club is having a meeting next week for introducing the models being used. Since you're my model, I was hoping that we'd go together."

"Oh. No problem, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura smiled. "By the way, are you free after school today?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Then is it okay if you come to the movies with me and the others? My brother wanted to meet my new friends…"

Tomoyo's amethyst eyes glowed. "I'll go! But I need to inform my mother first…."

"It's settled then? I'll be at the front gates with Syaoran and the others if they can come."

Fortunately for Sakura, the gang agreed. Yamazaki and Syaoran paled slightly when Sakura warned them that her brother was very protective, but they still consented to be being taken to their doom. Sakura thought, _they're pretty brave…_

Rika, Chiharu, and Naoko also complied, but their statuses as females would surely protect them from Touya's overly sensitive older-brother-rays-of-death.

Taking a deep breath, she entered the classroom, where her classmates were chattering excitedly.

-oOo-

"Ahhhh! I love class meetings. I can wear my casual clothes to school!" a girl's shrill voice rang through the myriad of other sounds. She was sporting an extremely low-collared shirt with her breasts basically hanging out and a pair of nearly invisible shorts.

"I know! And Syaoran-kun looks so good in his normal clothes!" another teenage clump of estrogen squealed.

"Kyaa! He's coming this way!"

"Maybe he's seen how smexy we look!"

And indeed, the amber eyed boy was making his way in what seemed to be the airheads' direction. At the last moment, however, he swerved to his left to where Sakura was sitting while gazing out of the window dreamily.

"Miss Spacey." He poked her forehead.

"WHAT?" she whipped her head back and forth, seeking for the one who broke into her musings.

When she finally located the source of her troubles, she blushed. "Uh. Syaoran-kun?"

"Yeah, that's me." he said, poking her arm this time.

"What did you want?" Sakura asked, getting more and more irritated as his poking continued.

"You said your brother was overprotective, right?" Syaoran nonchalantly prodded her hand this time.

"Yup. He is. When he realized that you guys came over, he told me that he needed to approve of you and the others." Sakura fought the urge to grab his finger and bite it off. "That's why there's a trip to the movie theater after school today."

He rolled his eyes. Even when he did such an ungraceful action, all the estrogen in the classroom started flaring.

"Should I be worried, though? I don't want to be maimed."

"Even though he's like that, I think he has a good heart. I think."

Syaoran looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think I understand. Even though I like teasing my sisters, I'm sort of territorial with them too."

"What? The girls at school aren't enough for you so you even chase after your sisters?"

"I didn't say that!" Syaoran seemed slightly angry. "I don't believe in incest."

An awkward muteness fell upon them.

"So… yeah." Sakura ended the conversation hesitantly. "Just don't do anything stupid to provoke him."

Nodding slowly, Syaoran made his way back to his seat (which was, of course right next to Sakura's) and sat down. His facial expression had melded into a pensive portrait worthy of being hung in any art museum. He either ignored or simply dismissed the hormone-saturated glances being constantly thrown at him, to Sakura's amusement.

_Was that all he wanted to talk about…?_

-oOo-

Sakura was the last person to leave the room again. Syaoran had gone ahead to pick up Tomoyo even though he offered to wait for Sakura so they could go together.

Even though she felt uncomfortable with allowing him to leave before her, she knew that the golden brown eyed boy really needed the alone time with her other friend. If it made him happy, she would do anything, she reminded herself.

After she put her last folder into her bag, she shuffled to the sliding door and walked through. To her surprise, Syaoran was already there, with a smiling Tomoyo at his side.

The image seemed both right and wrong to Sakura – they were both incredibly beautiful and perfect like a couple from a romance movie or novel but something deep in her heart told her that the two weren't complete.

"I'm sorry, did you wait long?" Sakura grinned at Syaoran, noticing the way he blushed at being in such proximity to the black haired girl beside him. "You could've just gone ahead to the gate where the others are waiting, you know."

"Well, I wanted to come get you. Is that so bad, best friend?" he fidgeted a bit when Tomoyo glanced at the two brown haired teens.

Chattering happily, the trio made through the empty halls. Streams of dying sun trickled through the windows and when Sakura looked outside, she saw that the sun had already begun to set.

"Oh, look. Everyone's here." Syaoran said when he reached the school gate.

"Sorry for the wait!" Sakura apologized sheepishly. "I always take too long."

"Yup, you really do. Any slower and you'd be going backwards, I think." Syaoran agreed.

Sakura glared at her best friend for his statement. "That's not true! And you chose to wait for me, Syaoran-kun!"

Chiharu noticed that the chocolate haired boy was very relaxed, as if he didn't have to pretend to be someone else anymore. During the school day, he acted as what everyone wanted him to be; he played the role of idol and the school's prince. He was far too kindhearted to let anyone down, even those stupid fan girls with air for brains. Chiharu admired her childhood friend very much for this but sometimes felt that his happiness was not a fair price for the amusement of others. She was also happy that Sakura had broken his mask so successfully in such a short period of time. He acted like a normal high school student now, instead of the center of girls' (and sometimes guys') day dreams.

After a bit of confusion (because Sakura had forgotten where the movie theater was), Syaoran led the group to the cinema's doors.

In the ticket booth was a very tall young man with piercing black eyes and matching locks of hair. He scrutinized the people coming forward with his onyx orbs. However, when he caught the clear verdant gaze of one of the people, his glare softened.

"Hey, kaijuu." He greeted, leaving his post after calling 'Yukito' to watch over his job.

He ruffled her hair casually, laughing at how his sister's face scrunched into a pout. "Geez, can't you just drop the 'kaijuu' part when we're in public?"

"No. It brings light into my life."

"You have no life."

The two bickered recklessly, ignoring the stares they were receiving from the passerby. It seemed as if it happened often, possibly even a daily ritual to the duo.

Unbeknownst to Sakura, her best friend was watching them duel verbally quite intently. His amber gaze followed the fighting siblings, wondering who this dark haired stranger was.

They wore matching clothes, had a close relationship, and seemed to know each other incredibly well. He wouldn't be lying if he admitted that the sensation that struck his heart was jealousy – he believed truly that he was the one male (the one person, maybe) that knew Sakura the best in Tomoeda. Seeing this spectacle gave him a second thought about his theory, however.

"Now kaijuu, stop being a kaijuu for just a second and tell me who these people are, please." The obsidian eyed tall teen demanded.

Sakura stopped her word-jabs at her brother and turned to see her friends. Sheepishly, she introduced her friends. "This is Chiharu-chan and Naoko-chan and Rika-chan."

Her brother nodded approvingly – he had no qualms with any of the female race. But, unfortunately, when he caught sight of two clearly male figures in the group, his eyes narrowed.

"I'm Yamazaki Takashi. Most people call me Yamazaki." He bowed, his black eyes were smiling so much that they grew into black slits. "Nice to meet you."

Before he could sprout any lies that would endanger the two boys' lives, Chiharu grasped Yamazaki's hand and pulled him over to a movie poster hanging near the entrance. Distracted, the frequently fibbing boy began weaving fantastic stories about the origin of movie ads that Chiharu didn't bother to cut off.

Fortunately, even though they had just met, Touya could see that Yamazaki was not going to be directly involved with his beloved sister's romantic life. The droop-eyed kid seemed extremely attached to the braided girl holding his arm and appeared to have no interest in Sakura in that manner. Relieved, he turned to his next victim.

With a black brow raised, he scanned Syaoran's entire presence.

If any random person was asked, they would've thought that Touya was checking out the younger amber eyed teen.

Not that they would object to doing it too, but of course, the black haired boy wasn't doing anything of the sort.

"I'm Li Syaoran, a classmate of Sakura's."

He bowed slightly, his bright golden-brown eyes glinting in the melting sun.

As his head hit the sun, Sakura could see the copper tones in his hair reflecting the light. It snatched her attention away from her brother's observant gaze.

If Syaoran had been nervous about meeting Sakura's prime guardian, he was definitely not revealing his true emotions. From the way his stature stood proudly at Touya's intimidating height of over six feet, Touya could see that the boy before him was definitely full of pride and confidence. Even after shooting daggers and lasers from his glare, Syaoran didn't seem the least bit scared.

Against his will, Touya felt a bit of admiration for the brown haired kid.

_But he's also a gaki._

He could sense something about the kid though. Something he didn't quite like, besides the attitude he possessed.

There was a light in his eyes that only grew brighter when he glanced at something or _someone_ behind Touya.

_Grr. I think the kaijuu just caught herself a _thing_. _

-oOo-


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note:

50 REVIEWS! I'm practically crying with glee. Sad as it is, I can't believe that I've actually gotten so much response from readers. I am freakishly sobbing. Really.

Final exams are coming up soon so I probably won't update in a while. But that's nothing new, right? All my chapters are short, stupid, and completely irregular. But hopefully, you guys will continue to honor me with your fantastic reviews. That would make me cry even harder. So try to dehydrate me, 'kay?

-oOo-

**Chapter 9:**

Sakura never ever would have believed that she would _ever _be caught in this situation. Clearly, life was trying to trip her with random obstacles before she made it to the finish line. It was so ridiculously stupid, that looking back, she felt that she should've laughed at God's attempt to screw her over.

But now's the present and she definitely couldn't laugh at Him. Yet.

Sakura had been enjoying (or so she tried to appear) her date with her brother, two male friends, and a few other female friends. They were at her brother's part time job at the cinema, and since he was on break and had a few free tickets, they all decided to catch a movie.

It was easily decided by Touya, the eldest of the group as well as the most intimidating, and no one made an effort to fight against the evident leader.

"We'll watch this. It got the highest ratings for the season, hopefully it'll entertain us." was his brisk explanation after skimming the 'Now Playing' list.

After buying whatever refreshments they wished, they piled into the already darkened room – the advertisements had already started – and followed each other into a single-file line.

The line went like this. Rika, although being the shyest, was the first and so could choose the row they all would sit in. Following her was the spectacled Naoko and braided Chiharu who was dragging a grinning Yamazaki through the aisle. Tomoyo glided after them. Syaoran, to Touya's anger, led Sakura down the very dark lane of seats by hand. As the end of the chain of people, Touya sat in the aisle seat and comfortably stretched his long legs.

The first few ads were okay – simple and clearly low-budget commercials for various drinks and snacks. However, the next few were definitely not sights Sakura wanted to witness splayed on a large silver screen.

"GAAAAH!" she shrieked, startling quite a few surrounding people.

On the flat plane in front of her was a huge projected woman wearing a slightly loose snow white kimono. Her long black hair was tied up in what used to be an elaborate bun or something of the sort but many of the tendrils of dark hair hung loosely around the woman's pale neck. She was slowly climbing out of an antique looking well with vines and moss growing around the rim. The blackness of her hair formed a shocking contrast to the paleness of both her skin and her clothing; her thin blood red lips only accented the effect.

Sakura couldn't help whimpering – obviously, she was terrified of ghosts and spirits and demons. She latched onto the nearest person's arm, hiding her petrified face in its warmth.

Touya quickly turned to make sure his younger sibling was alright. He frequently had to soothe her after she saw something related to the occult. It made him slightly guilty that he had contributed to her phobia because he used to tell her scary stories just to see her wide eyes flickering in fear.

_Ugh, I really was a sadist…_

To _his _horror, however, he saw his sister cuddling up to the amber eyed boy seated at her left (at least, that's what he saw), with the brat's hand patting her head.

"OI, GAKI." Touya snatched the tan hand from Sakura's head. "Pay attention to the movie, will you?"

He removed Sakura from Syaoran's arms and placed her into his custody. Touya hugged Sakura protectively, who seemed to be so completely immersed in her own fright that she didn't notice that she had just switched between two now very angry teenage boys.

"Sakura, are you alright?" a delicate voice whispered to her right.

Tomoyo's worried violet eyes were glowing in the darkness.

Syaoran felt his amber gaze trace into those beautiful purple orbs…

Until his attention to Sakura was recaptured when Sakura burst into a new bout of whimpering and screaming, that is.

There was another murder scene (how freaking long was this trailer supposed to be anyway?) plastered on the screen. Naoko was staring intently at the blood and gore and Rika politely watched the scene play out. Chiharu was struggling to shut Yamazaki up, who was spinning another tale about how wells were actually reservoirs of lost dreams and wishes.

Sakura was now practically on the popcorn littered floor, her hands hiding her now tears streaked face. She shivered uncontrollably, jumping every time she heard someone get up from their seats or shift slightly. Touya sighed and went to pick his sister up from the floor and bring her outside until the trailer was over.

Gathering her in his arms, he didn't notice the glare being shot at him by a certain chestnut haired boy. Carefully, Touya guided Sakura out of the theater and into the light outside. She hesitantly blinked, adjusting to the brightness.

Embarrassedly, she looked away from her brother. She couldn't believe that she just acted that immaturely in front of her friends and her older brother. Her previous 'friends' had invited her to the movies quite often when they first met. But when she kept rejecting their offers in order to avoid situations like the one she just underwent, they began to keep her out.

_I hope that Tomoyo-chan, Syaoran-kun and the others won't do that. _

Touya grabbed a bottle of cold juice from the counter and pressed it to his sister's cheek.

Eagerly, she grasped the bottle and yanked the lid off. She gulped down the apple juice like a person about to die of thirst.

"Thanks, onii-chan…"

"Don't worry about that, just calm down." Touya said, his face turning the opposite direction. He continued stroking the toffee colored head.

Sighing, Sakura felt her heart beat slow as she fell into a tired trance. Every time she saw anything that truly frightened her, her body would burn off energy like crazy until there was nothing left. That was one of the reasons that her appetite was so healthy. She needed to fill up on food in order not to pass out.

Touya ignored the curious looks and whispers that passed between the bystanders. His co-workers were eying his sister in a way he wanted to smack off their faces. He knew his sister's appeal to the male population and he had prepared from the beginning of her puberty to ward off all men.

He couldn't help smirking when he heard his manager, a peppy older woman, sigh disappointedly at the sight of Touya and Sakura in his arms.

"Aww. Touya-kun has a girl in his life already…" she whispered to the equally peppy co-workers beside her. "I was going to aim for him next…"

_My plan is working! Bringing Sakura here would let me keep an eye on her, rid me of random girls, and keep her away from guys! Muahahaha…._

Touya smiled to himself. He didn't like using his sister in that way, but the day he applied for the job, all the female employees had flooded towards him and almost suffocated him. He never wanted a repeat of that.

"Is she okay?" A male voice reached Touya's ears.

"Yes." He said gruffly, turning to see amber eyes.

"I didn't know Sakura would be scared of those things… She's always seemed the brave sort." Syaoran elaborated, trying not to prickle at the sight of a sleeping Sakura in the taller black haired man's arms. It disturbed him, but he didn't know why.

"What do you mean 'always'? How do you even know her that well?" Touya turned his eyes to Sakura.

"I'm her friend." Syaoran said. "Her best friend."

"The KAIJUU does NOT have a boy friend. And by that, I mean male friend, not that other kind of boyfriend… GAH, WHY AM I EXPLAINING THIS STUFF TO THIS GAKI?" Touya muttered angrily to himself towards the end of his rant.

"She does, and I'm that boy friend. And by that, I meant what you meant." Syaoran told the frustrated older man.

"And what exactly did I mean?" Touya demanded.

"I meant that you meant that I'm just a boy friend of Sakura's." Syaoran explained.

"WHAT? SO YOU'RE LIKE _THAT_ WITH MY KAIJUU?" Touya screamed at the bewildered face of the brown haired boy before him, who was only a few inches shorter.

"No, no, I'm not!" Syaoran tried to soothe the enraged Touya. He fought the urge to smack him with his clenched fist. He hated the way Touya had said 'my kaijuu'. "No, I'm only her boy friend, meaning I'm her best friend who just so happens to be of the male gender!"

Touya seemed pacified for a moment and then his face turned scarlet with anger once more. "ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY THAT MY KAIJUU ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?"

Syaoran looked helplessly at the man glaring at him with rays of pure hatred. Again, the possessive tone that Touya emitted made Syaoran's heart tingle uncomfortably.

"No…" Syaoran was saying before he felt himself giving up. This man was impossible to please, he thought. "Uh, I meant that she's nice and pretty and all, but I don't think of her that way."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?"

Sighing, Syaoran sat down in the seat across from Touya, his eyes shielded by the chocolate hair on his forehead.

"EXPLAIN RIGHT NOW, GAKI, OR I'LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF IN A DITCH TOMORROW-" Touya was cut off as a hand grabbed his sleeve.

"You're awake now, kaijuu?" his tone immediately softened and he gently knelt down to his sister.

"Don't bother Syaoran-kun, please."

"Okay, okay. I won't. But he was saying some things I didn't like-"

"You never like anything." Sakura complained.

"Of course I do!"

"Like what?"

"Like annoying the hell out of me!"

"HEY. NO CURSING!"

"You can't tell me what to say!"

"I CAN."

"HOW?"

"I'M YOUR-"

Syaoran cleared his throat awkwardly. The two in front of him were getting along so well, in his view. Like a couple, he thought rather angrily. _Wait. Why am I angry?_

"Um… I just wanted to check if Sakura was fine and she seems okay… I think the movie should be ending in half an hour so we might as well just stay outside to wait for the others." Syaoran tried not to reveal his inner turmoil as he spoke.

"Yeah… I don't think I want to go back in…" Sakura shuddered at the memory of the freakish ghost-spirit-woman-of-death she'd seen earlier. "By the way Syaoran-kun, I'm sorry I caused so many problems… I hope I didn't trouble you too much?"

Smiling kindly, Syaoran shook his head. "No problem at all. But as your best friend, shouldn't you've told me that you have a phobia for scary things?"

Guiltily, Sakura looked at her feet. "I was embarrassed… Last time I got that scared, I got my friends thrown out of the theater…"

Touya's ears perked up. He'd known that Sakura had suffered a lot because people generally only wanted to acquaint themselves with her for one reason – to take advantage of his sister's naïveté. He knew the story already because he'd been there for his part-time job.

Outraged at the staff's behavior to Sakura, he'd quit the job and raced home to comfort Sakura later. Her friends hadn't been too nice to her either – they were furious that their tickets were wasted and that they were banned from the number one hangout spot for their age group and also for the embarrassment that Sakura caused.

"Sakura." Touya said warningly.

_Nii-san? He said Sakura… that means he's serious about something?_

"Ah, that's right." Sakura changed the subject quickly before she spilled too much of her past. "I want to get something to eat, is that okay?"

"I'll go with you." Both boys stared at each other as they spoke in unison.

"Okay." Sakura ignored the flashes of fury being exchanged through the heated glares between two of the most important guys in her life.

-oOo-

And that was how she was stuck in her current situation.

She was sitting in a family restaurant located near the theater, in a booth.

Sakura tried to look comfortable with her current conflict – being caught in crossfire between her best friend and her brother.

She had scooted to one side of the table, flipping through the menu. Touya had insisted to sit next to her while Syaoran settled across from them.

"Oi, kaijuu." Touya poked his sister. "I left my wallet at my job, so no expensive things, got it?"

Sakura scowled – she had been planning to try to eat her way through her brother's pocket. He had so many jobs that she was sure that he'd be a millionaire by now. Fortunately, she didn't know that he had always chosen jobs situated near her so he'd be able to keep an eye on her. If she did somehow find out, Touya would probably be in emergency room at the Tomoeda Hospital again.

"Um, if it's okay, I can pay for Sakura's food." Syaoran suggested.

"No." Touya replied shortly. "I'm paying since I'm sharing with her."

Syaoran's perfectly flawless face twinged a bit before snapping back to its usual cheerful smile. "No, I insist – I have enough money with me for both of you."

"NO." Touya grit out. "I have enough with me for this and how can I let someone younger and a _complete stranger_ like you take care of the bill?"

"Geez, Syaoran-kun is not a stranger! He's my best friend." Sakura said to her brother with a flick to his forehead. "Hmm… should I get the omelet or the noodles…?"

"No." Touya said stubbornly. "Get the noodles."

Sakura nodded as she folded away the menu and it seemed that as soon as she set it down, a waiter whizzed towards the trio.

"Do you want anything, Syaoran-kun?" she didn't bother asking her brother – they always liked the same things and sharing was completely normal.

"I'll get the same as you, if you don't mind." Syaoran replied, puzzled and upset that Sakura had given way to the black haired man so easily. She seemed so used to interacting with him that Syaoran felt slightly envious that she'd never acted so naturally around him.

"Two curry chicken noodles, please." She smiled cheerfully at the waiter, who seemed mesmerized by the charming expression on her face.

"Y-yes, right away!" the waiter stuttered. He seemed to be in college, a few years older than Sakura and Syaoran. "Any drinks?"

His face was red, his eyes still plastered on the emerald eyed girl's face. Both Syaoran and Touya prickled when they realized that the waiter was eying the only girl in their group. They aimed theirs glares expertly at the now trembling employee.

"Um… Is it okay if I order a drink?" Sakura turned to her brother.

"Yeah, they have free refills here so we can just share." Touya consented, his onyx eyes glinting dangerously.

_SHARE? IF THAT WHAT HE JUST SAID?_ Syaoran's amber eyes widened as he thought of the two sharing a beverage.

"Alright then… Apple juice." Sakura told the waiter, who frantically scribbled their orders on his writing pad.

"I'll have the chrysanthemum tea, please." Syaoran coldly announced, his expression stoic and frozen.

_Hmm? What's wrong with Syaoran-kun? He's not acting normally… Wonder what he's thinking about._

"I'll be back soon." The waiter said before darting off to the kitchens. The sharp glares he'd been receiving from the two guys at the table he was just at were starting to sink through his skin. He shuddered as he remembered the intensity.

A few minutes later, the tabletop had two steaming plates of curry chicken noodle, a large glass of apple juice, and a small teapot of chrysanthemum tea.

Grabbing her chopsticks, Sakura happily consumed her noodles. Touya had asked for a small extra plate and pair of chopsticks and was slowly picking out things that he knew Sakura disliked eating – the green peppers, chunks of tough chicken meat, and all the slightly burnt parts. He always did that so his sister wouldn't complain too much.

Syaoran noticed this and felt another strange sensation that was akin to jealousy. He didn't like how Touya had known all of Sakura's likes and dislikes, even before he himself did.

_Am I really her best friend? _He realized that even though he'd become considerably closer to her, he didn't know as much about Sakura as he had believed.

He decided to make up for that - by showing Touya that he was serious about his best-friendship with Sakura.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note:

Apparently, my computer uploaded the wrong draft for Chapter 9 so I had to reupload it. In other words, I've replaced the document for Chapter 9 of this story. But the only thing that changed is the ending – since, if you noticed before, that the former chapter 9's ending was cut off and obviously not finished. I don't know what went wrong. Maybe a saving error? Ugh. I think that technology hates me. Like everything else in the world... -_-

I also apologize for not updating. I was pretty much dead for a while.

Oh. And I apologize beforehand if I offend any transgender people or transvestites. I have nothing against them. It's just that I felt like writing about some imaginary ones.

-oOo-

**Chapter 10**

It was a few more awkward minutes after that something actually happened besides the various death-glares being exchanged by the two males. Syaoran had been quietly steaming at the 'couple' in front of him; they were now sipping apple juice together, their straws in the same cup. He tried not to show that he felt somewhat left out, but of course, he ultimately failed.

Touya, being gifted with a sixth sense, could smugly feel the emotions boiling beneath the artfully messy chesnut brown hair.

"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura peered at her friend who hadn't touched his curry noodles. "Are you okay? You haven't eaten..."

Eager to ease her worries, he shook his head. "No, I was just thinking about some things..."

Which wasn't a lie. But Sakura didn't seem satisfied, truth or lie.

"If you don't like curry, maybe we can ask for something else?" Sakura persisted.

"No, it's okay." To show that he meant it, he shovelled the noodles into his mouth with his unused pair of chopsticks. Somehow, he even made that usually rude and disgusting action look like it actually followed decent table manners. "See? I love curry noodles."

It was then that Syaoran realized that it was not a good idea to stuff his mouth with burning hot curry.

Touya snorted. It was painfully obvious that he was trying too hard, but as a sadist, Touya decided he wanted to see Syaoran suffer some more.

"So, gaki."

Syaoran gulped down his mouthful of scalding curry and turned to face the black haired man.

"Yes,-" Syaoran broke off, suddenly realizing that he didn't know the man's name.

"Okay. There's one thing I want you to get in your little head, gaki." Touya got straight down to business. "Either you break off whatever relationship _you think_ you have with Sakura here, or you get something else broken off of you. I think it's a sensible deal, right?"

Syaoran couldn't help but look at Touya like he was an idiot. He, as in Touya. Not Syaoran.

"May I ask what other options are available for me?" Syaoran inquired delicately, not wanting to add oil to the already fierce fire.

"You mean options for breaking?" Touya's smile suddenly darkened and the temperature of the booth the three were sitting in had dropped quickly. "Let's see. We can break - "

"'Nii-chan!" Sakura stood up abruptly, staring daggers at her brother. "Syaoran-kun is my best friend, not something that you can just break!"

"But - "

"NO BUTS!" Sakura slammed her fist towards her brother, who either didn't see that coming or did see but felt like being punched by a petite teenaged girl. It was more likely the former than the latter, in this case.

"KAIJUU. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? IF ANYTHING, YOU SHOULD BE PUNCHING THAT GAKI OVER THERE!" Touya yelled, outraged at his sister's extremely accurate attack.

"Why should I be? He hasn't done anything wrong, so why?" Sakura said, her fist aiming for another good smack. "You, on the other hand..."

Touya braced himself for another hit and so was wary of her clenched hands. What he didn't expect was an ultimate kaijuu attack.

THWACK.

Touya quickly excused himself to go to the restroom, his hands nursing his wounds. His arm and shin were now throbbing repetitively. They would soon bruise, he thought sadly. Gathering the rest of his manly pride, he scooted off to treat his injuries, but not without a single last glare at his nemesis.

"Um..." Sakura seemed awkward again. This wasn't something she wanted to show the boy she was best friends with. "Please don't mind him, he's an idiot."

"No problem..." Syaoran replied uncomfortably. "I just realized he never introduced himself to me. So who exactly was he?"

Sakura laughed. "Sometimes my brother gets so into his older-brother protectiveness that he forgets the most important things. Like his name, for example."

Quickly sipping up the rest of the apple juice before Touya came and hogged it again, she continued. "He's Kinomoto Touya, my older brother who is currently in college."

Her words echoed continually as he let it soak into his brain.

"_My older brother…"_

"_My OLDER brother…"_

"_My OLDER BROTHER…"_

Suddenly, Syaoran experienced an epiphany. He felt a glow from the information sinking into his mind as he realized that the man he had been so upset with was actually his best friend's brother. That didn't really fix what was already damaged(i.e his ego), but he knew that now he could rest in peace (not actually dying, but you know) without the thought of a rival plaguing his mind.

_Wait. Did I just think that Touya's my rival?_

_Rival for wha__t? ...? I'm so confused._

His bemused expression must have revealed itself on his handsome face because Sakura quickly asked, "Is something wrong, Syaoran-kun? I'm really sorry if nii-chan offended you… He's just like that."

Shaking his head, he assured Sakura that he wasn't upset about anything that Touya had said.

"No, it's nothing. I was just thinking about more things."

"Like what?"

"…Um…" Syaoran thought wildly, his eyes darting across the restaurant quickly for inspiration. "Uh… I was thinking about…My sisters."

"What about them?"

"They emailed me…uh, last week."

"About what?"

"Um…" he wracked his brain. It felt almost impossible to lie to her. "One of my cousins might be coming to Japan…"

"Oh? What part of Japan?"

"Um… Since she's younger than me, she's probably going to come to Tomoeda to live with me…"

"I see. So you're close?"

"Um… Yes?"

"Since she's coming here, will you introduce her to me?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you answering my questions with questions?"

"Um… I don't know?"

He carefully sipped the steaming tea in his cup, savoring the refreshing taste it had. He watched his friend's green eyes looking suspiciously at him but he broke off the connection as he suddenly glanced at his watch.

"Um… I think the others have finished their movie…"

"We should hurry back then. Ugh… Why is nii-san taking so long though?"

"I'll go to the bathrooms to check. Wait here, Sakura."

"Um… I'm not sure if you're safe going alone though."

Syaoran looked puzzled. "But this is the men's bathroom we're talking about. I'm pretty sure girls aren't allowed in there."

Blushing furiously, Sakura shook her head. "No! I meant that Touya might –"

-_pummel you into the ground if I'm not watching…_

She couldn't finish her sentence that had been half formed as an interruption came.

"Excuse me, would you like the bill now?" the waiter had returned, his shy disposition still in place.

"Yes please." Syaoran dug into his pocket for his wallet but Sakura stopped him.

"It's okay. Touya has the money; it's just that he's really really stingy. When he comes back, we'll pay."

"No, it's fine, I got it covered, okay?" Syaoran insisted, pulling a few bills out.

"Um…. If you can't decide, maybe I should come back later?" the waiter asked awkwardly. He was watching the two teenagers in a depressed way; he was hoping that the girl wouldn't be attached to someone already. But after studying Syaoran, he concluded that he would be no match for the chestnut haired boy.

Seizing her chance, Sakura agreed. "Please come back later, after our friend returns to the table. Sorry for inconveniencing you –"

Sakura squinted at the miniscule nametag on the waiter's chest. " – Nobu-san."

"I-i-i-it's no problem whatsoever, ojou-san," he stuttered, joyful that she had said his first name.

Syaoran glared his way, amber eyes flashing. Nobu shivered as he saw death in the concentrated gaze. He shuffled away quickly, muttering under his breath.

"I have a feeling that you're the one who's not safe being here alone, Sakura…" he said as he watched the nervous looking waiter approach another table cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked obliviously.

Sighing exasperatedly, Syaoran stood up. "Don't go anywhere and wait for me to come back with your brother. Don't go with any strangers or accept any candy or anything from them. Don't go into white vans or with anyone you don't know. Okay?"

"Geez, Syaoran. You make it seem like I'm some little kid who can't take care of themselves. Relax. I'm not going to be kidnapped or anything in the next few minutes. You're almost as bad as my brother!"

"I'm just worried for your safety." Syaoran said, annoyed that he had been categorized as the same type as her older brother. Sure, he was slightly –oh, alright – very possessive and territorial, but it didn't mean he looked like a mother bear protecting her cubs. Touya was the epitome of _that _speculation_._

He got up and made his way towards the restroom. Shrugging, Sakura continued to sip her apple juice.

She never noticed the door of the restaurant whisk open and a small group of people walk in.

"…Sakura?"

-oOo-

After he winded down the aisles of the restaurant and ignored the interested eyes of the females (and some males…) in the establishment, he finally made it to the bathrooms.

It was there where he heard chattering and collision of more than a dozen voices.

"What's your name, hmm?" a dangerously sweet voice purred.

Syaoran, curious at what was causing so much commotion, turned around the corner and was struck at the sight.

"Give me your phone number, sweet-cheeks," another voice hummed.

"Look, I don't know who the hell you are and I never ever want to, but please get the hell out of my way!" a furious yet familiar voice yelled.

Syaoran stared at the scene dumbly. More than a handful of … transvestites…were surrounding one particular guy, cornering the latter.

"I'd like to get to know you though, hot-stuff," a sugary voice said.

Touya was now shrinking into the corner of the exit, his onyx eyes spilling lasers at the seemingly unaffected cross-dressers. Well, saying "unaffected" would be an understatement; they were melting at the sight of Touya's fierce black gaze.

"Ooh! I love it when you have your game-face on! 3 3" a fourth speaker squealed, causing Touya to wince.

Syaoran was torn between laughing his guts out and helping the poor guy. He decided to laugh a bit before going to Touya's rescue.

Unfortunately, one of the fanboys – ahem, fan-girls? – caught sight of him.

"OH EM GEES!" he/she delightedly shrieked. "Another one!"

Syaoran opened his mouth to ask, "Another what?" but he was frozen to the ground as a good half of the crowd rushed over to him instead, giving Touya a slight amount of breathing room.

_I'm sorry Sakura. This is probably going to take awhile._

-oOo-

Sakura sighed, waiting for her best friend and big brother to return to the table. She was freakishly bored, even after the waiter took pity on her and handed her a kids menu and a few crayons.

She was coloring in the mascot (a black plushie with catlike eyes and ears, a pair of wings, and a swirling tail) fervently when she heard her name being called.

"… Sakura?"

She didn't stop her coloring, thinking that it was probably someone else the person was addressing; after all, 'Sakura' was not an uncommon name in Japan.

Concentrating on shading in the blue of the mascot's eyes, she didn't look up.

"Kinomoto Sakura?" the person called again, more urgently this time.

Sakura froze. There was only one person she knew called 'Kinomoto Sakura'. And that person was definitely the one being called, the one coloring as if there was no tomorrow, and the one who turned into stone as she heard the person she despised calling her name.

"… You…" was all Sakura could utter as she looked up from her coloring book.

-oOo-

Syaoran was definitely stuck in a predicament worse than facing an angry older brother of Kinomoto Sakura. He was facing an angry older brother of Kinomoto Sakura _and_ at least a dozen trannies dressed in very very inappropriate clothes.

"Oooh! Look!" another one pointed at him.

"We should definitely come here again! This place is crawling with ikemen (Japanese for hotties, or good looking, etc)! They even have a tranny appreciation day, when all trannies get 30% off their whole bill!" a very heavily accented cross-dresser announced, his/her obviously fake long tresses of red hair shaking with excitement.

"I second that, Hanako-chan!" a very low voice agreed. It was very strange to hear such a soothing, low-pitched, and all in all very manly voice attempt to squeal like a little girl.

"If Mimi-chan says so, we must come here _every other day!_" one of the group said. He/she was dressed so provocatively, that even strippers would be ashamed. And that was definitely saying something.

_How the hell did he/she even get in here? He/she's like wearing almost nothing! _

Syaoran tried to erase the image from his brain, his conscience frantically scrubbing itself with mindsoap.

_I am _never _eating here again._

"Gaki!" a slightly panicked voice called for him.

He realized that Touya had been addressing him, beneath all the flashy colors and frills. He fought to make eye contact with the older teen, who was drowning under the lace and silk.

Touya mouthed something that looked like a string of profanities (luckily not shot at him, but at the trannies) and then started mouthing something that was indeed meant for him.

"_Gaki. Why'd you leave Sakura alone? Ugh, never mind that. I've got a plan that'll probably let us out of this hellhole."_ He mimed the words quickly, making it hard for Syaoran to decipher the cryptic words.

Anxious to leave the 'hellhole', as Touya had christened it, Syaoran nodded with all his might.

"WILL YOU PLEASE LET GO OF MY BOYFRIEND?" Touya screamed into the air, his yell actually shaking the ceiling of the bathrooms.

Everyone froze, including Syaoran, whose mouth was hanging open and almost hitting the filthy public restroom floor.

"_WHAT?"_ he mouthed to Touya, who looked utterly ashamed and depressed at calling the 'gaki' his boyfriend.

"_WHAT?"_ everyone else flapped their mouths helplessly, looking at each other bewilderedly.

"You heard me. He's my boyfriend." Touya looked like he was going to pass out from the effort, but fortunately, the trannies mistook it for passion.

"…WOW," Mimi-chan of the lowest of the low voices said, his/her wide brown eyes glittered. "A REAL LIVE BISHONEN COUPLE?"

"Oh, Mimi-chan! Our dreams!" the one called Hanako exclaimed. "OUR DREAMS ARE COMING TRUE! I KNEW THAT GOING TO JAPAN WOULD FULFILL OUR WILDEST FANTASIES!"

The other cross-dressers grinned. "Let's hit Korea next, baby."

They gallantly skipped out of the restroom, leaving a petrified Touya and Syaoran on the tiled floor.

"Oh. Sorry for tainting your boyfriend's innocence, bishonen." Mimi-chan said, his/her gaze on Touya. "But you guys can makeup later, right?"

He/she winked flirtatiously at the stunned Touya and then sauntered out of the bathroom. Hanako blew a kiss at them and then followed her posse out.

Syaoran got up slowly from the cold floor and stared at Touya.

"_That _was your plan?" he asked, his mouth still hanging.

"I'm sorry, I really am." Touya muttered mournfully. "It seemed the most effective at the time."

Syaoran nodded, speechless at what had just happened in the restroom. He was _definitely _not _coming back here. _

"And just for the record, I'm straight." Touya said, struggling to get up. "Even if I were gay, I wouldn't look for someone like you."

"I'm glad we agree on something." Syaoran stated solemnly.

-oOo-


End file.
